Changes
by Shadowz101
Summary: Life shortly after TLO. Contains some adult themes but mostly T rated. UPDATE: Up for adoption from an interested party if anyone wants it let me know.
1. Nostalgia

**Hello readers this is my first fanfic so tell me what you think. I came up with this idea almost as soon as I had finished the book series and will update as often as I can. This story is going to have a dark feel to it and shows the other side to war that alot of people dont want to see. I wont spoil it so please. Read and review.**

Beginnings

After a long time looking out of my bedroom window I let my gaze fall back down to my lap. A creased newspaper was shrivelled and battered from re reading and overuse but I could still make out each and every name on the list; the list of the dead. It's been two weeks since the war and I can still hear the screams of the dead and dying, the last look in Lukes face as he said his goodbye and defeated Kronos. I can vaguely remember cheering as the world was saved but I suppose I had no cheer left in me. The destruction left behind was monstrous. The locals put it down to a massive earthquake but I know different. All half bloods do. I read the newspaper yet again even though I had memorised every word over and over again. _Man why do I have to be so fucking depressed_ I thought and then realised the answer was easy.

I was16 and I've seen more fighting than most soldiers do in their lifetime. I've seen friends die, betray me, and hurt me and my...family? I suppose you could call everyone at Camp Half Blood my family. Apart from my mother who I love more than anyone else on the planet they are the nearest thing to family I have. Of course my father sometimes drops a visit. Hasn't been here much lately due to the rebuild of his underwater palace. Apart from the "Earthquake" in New York

Things had been pretty strange lately. Since Kronos fell the world seemed to have fallen into a perpetual sleep where nothing seems to be happening yet things seem slightly different if that makes sense. Life continued as normal for some, others suffered with mourning. From time to time campers dropped by my house to say hello and I did the same in return. I loved my friends. The other night Grover dropped by with his girlfriend and invited me out to the pictures with him to see some movie. Normally I would be embarrassed going out with a couple just on my own but now, now I had Annabeth.

Annabeth. Every time I think her name I have to smile. All these years we went through everything together, returning the bolt, Sea of monsters, the labyrinth etc brought us closer and closer together. She was my best friend and I thought the world of her, even if she can be a bit of a smart arse sometimes. I suppose if she wasn't like that it wouldn't be Annabeth though. I called up an image in my mind of the time we had a fight before we went on the quest into the Labyrinth. I almost laughed. Almost…what did make me smile I closed my eyes and took a moment to steady myself. _Cant think about that now I thought_. I exhaled slowly and put the paper back down onto my nightstand. I was just about try and make sense of the thoughts in my head when I heard a loud bang on the door.

"Percy! Percy are you in there?" My mothers voice rang from the other side. To say that noise made me jump was an understatement. Trust me if you had been fighting monsters for the best part of 4 years then you'd be jumpy. I jumped back into my bed and nearly went head first into the wall, my newspaper dropping off the side of the bed. I had to steady myself using my bookshelf. It took me a few seconds to calm down. I heard a chuckle from the other side of the door. Apparently mom found my reaction amusing. I can't blame her to be honest.

"Relax it's only me haha". I could just see her head poking through the side of the door as she gradually opened the door and let the light come in through the window to breathe on her kind face. She slowly crept in the room holding her arms out in a mock _"look I'm unarmed" _pose. She was wearing a pink and blue dress flowery dress and had a radiant smile on her face that made her shine. She has changed so much since she met Paul. More…confident and self assured. She finally realised that she deserved to have a little good luck now and again.

"You fancy some dinner dear? You look starving". Truth was I hadn't been eating much lately. I had too much on my mind. I still wasn't particularly hungry but I accepted her offer regardless. I didn't want her to worry.

"Yeah sure" I said. My mom gave me a quizzical glace and started smirking smugly. I realised I still had a dopey smile on my face from when I was thinking about Annabeth. Mom came up closer to me and tapped me on the shoulder still grinning.

"You got it _bad_" she teased

"Shut up!" I said irritably. I tried to be annoyed but I couldn't stop myself from sniggering from embarrassment. All the colour went into my cheeks and I tried to back away from my moms smug expression

"You got it _real_ bad!" She laughed and she could stop after that as Id just flushed completely red and sat down in a petulant sulky position on my bed.

"Are you done?" I asked still trying to keep a straight face.

"I think so. Is Annabeth coming over later?" she said quizzically

"You know I'm seeing her later mom." I said rolling me eyes. Lately she seems to be asking a lot of questions about me and her. It's quite annoying actually.

"Oh I remember…have fun". She let the smirk stay on her face and walked out the room. I swear to the gods I could have heard a laugh as she closed the door. I just stood there staring at the door. My mind was starting to wander again when I heard a bang downstairs that brought me back to earth.

"Percy!" my mom's voice rang _Oh Yeah_.

I quickly stuffed the paper under the bed. _I can tidy that up later _I thought then ran out the room, down the stairs into the kitchen. At the bottom of the stairs my mom was waiting with my arms crossed.

"Took your time" she said simply. She turned towards the dinner table where Paul was already sitting.

"Its beef lasagne I hope you don't mind". She walked over to the seat next to him fiancé and kissed him on the lips. She patted him on the back and got sat down. I jokingly jabbed my fingers into my mouth.

"Does it have to be over dinner mom?" I asked. To her it probly sounded more like a whine.

"Don't act like you don't do it" she chided then stuck her tongue out. I chuckled

"Fair point" I said then I sat down opposite and picked up a fork. I then absently started to eat my meal. I tasted it but it held no satisfaction.

We ate most of our meal in silence only pausing occasionally for idle chit chat. 'How was your day?' 'What have been up to?' 'How has work been?' were type of questions that got asked. Most of the talk was aimed at me. I answered the questions when asked but I tried to keep it short. I really wasn't in the mood to talk. I just wanted to be left alone. I could see that both of them were worried. That just made me even sadder. Neither of them would understand. Not even I do. I should be celebrating shouldn't I? There is no more fighting is there? Sure there will still some clearing up to do after all there is a bit power gap left behind; supporters of Kronos's cause might decide to take advantage of his absence but we have Rachel for that. She has come in quite handy so far and has deterred two attacks that could have ended disastrously. I suppose there are advantages to having someone who can see problems before they happen and let the Chiron know.

Every time either my Mom or Paul met my eyes I involuntarily looked down knowing that she could read my face almost too easily. After a silence of about ten minutes I stood up.

"Mom may I go now please I have to…err get ready for tonight?"

"Erm…ok Percy sure go on up…you sure you don't want pudding" she asked.

I turned and briskly ran up the stairs.

"I'm fine I'll eat later" I managed to rush out on the way up. I bounded into my room and quickly closed the door. I walked towards my bed and laid myself down like I had been everyday for the last few weeks.

I had a date with Annabeth to some restaurant in town. My mom helped me with the reservation. She thought it would be romantic which was the exact reason at first I didn't warm to the idea. I didn't have Annabeth down to be the type of person that liked all that mushy stuff. I thought I would humour her and ask anyway. _Hey what's the worse that could go wrong_ I thought. To my surprise she said yes almost straight away and didn't make fun of how sappy I sounded…well almost didn't. I was walking her back to her dads place when I asked her. We stopped to sit down briefly and watched the sky. It was nearing dawn my mom was going to kill me; I could see faint light coming from the east. I left my house at eleven and if I'm slow it takes me about 40 minutes to walk to Annabeths place. We had been out for more than 3 hours and almost none of that was spent walking.

Anyway as I was saying I had been putting off asking for a few hours but she was nearly home so I though…well I had to get it over with

I was just starting to try and put the question out but I kept stumbling over my words.

'_Spit it out Percy I do need to get home eventually' _she laughed knowing that

'_Ah err…would I was just wondering if you would like to come out with me tomorrow…to err…well there's a restaurant near where I live…so…you know…you want to…just me and you?' _She gave me a questioning look and stared at me for a few seconds with her striking grey eyes. Feeling she might say no I quickly tried to save myself from embarrassment and back out but this only made me look more pitiful

'_Sure-if-you-don't-want-to-go-there-we-can-always-do-some-…' _the words came so fast out my mouth I could barely catch a breath but before I could finish Annabeth held up her hand and lit a mocking grin form on her lips. I could tell she was trying hard not to laugh at how wet I sounded simply by the fact she was covering her mouth and shaking forward and back quickly. She knew how hard it was for me to ask her this it took almost a year just to get the courage kiss her for Zeus's sake. '_Sure Seaweed Brain…ha…it'll be sweet…what time shall I meet you?' _My jaw hit the floor '_What?'._ She laughed againshowing her brilliant smile. _'Why you look so uncomfortable? You did want me to say yes right?' _she looked hopefully into my eyes…almost doubtful. Realising she thought I was trying to blow her off I hastily added.

'_No No not at all…just didn't think it was your thing…your not exactly a girly girl are you?'_

She smiled and gave me a face of mock hurt. She then stopped walking and I could see mischief in her eyes; a sparkle I thought I'd lost during the war. It was satisfying to see. She slowly leant into me, her eyes never leaving me face she leant in slowly, my heart thumping hard against my chest. I was aware of every part of her body that was touching me and if Athena could of heard the thoughts I was having right then about her daughter then I'm pretty sure I would have been blasted into a crater. My eyes went to her lips in anticipation. Just as she was getting nearer she pulled back and stuck her tongue out.

'_I hate you sometimes' _I joked

'_No you don't Seaweed Brain_' she said

I starred at her for a few seconds then shook my head back to reality.

'_So…you actually want to come?'_

I could feel my face heating up. She shifted uncomfortable and her eyes moved around her head, focussing on almost anything but me.

'_What? Did you not think I'd like a romantic meal with my…boyfriend?' _I let an unwilling laugh escape my lips. She was never one to express emotion and her saying the word 'boyfriend' out loud was one of the hardest things she has probly done in a long while. Yes that _**does **_include the numerous monsters at the battle for Olympus and yes that _**does **_including rebuilding the place, which by the way she started a few days ago…well she finished drawing up the plans anyway. For the last week she had almost never left the bedroom. She had been up all night drawing scale drawings measurements blah blah blah I will probly fall asleep if I think about it too much. The annoying thing is that for the best part of a week the only way I have been able to talk to her is by phone (and all demigods know what happens when we use phones). Twice in the last 3 days I've had to fight off an attack. It's a good job I'm invincible.

Watching her floundering here was one of the funniest things I have witnessed. I was about to laugh when she looked at me with dagger eyes and said _'shut up' _in a low was gradually letting her composure back and let a neutral expression enter her face and moved her hands down to her sides and she looked evenly at me.

'_What time you want to pick me up then' _she asked. Shit I forgot about that. How was I going to meet her? Not wanting to sound like an idiot I had an idea. I hope Paul wouldn't mind.

'_Er…seven?...I'll borrow Paul's car he shouldn't miss it for one night'. She raised her eyebrow._

'_Remember what Happened last time you borrowed his car'. _I vaguely remembered a large black Pegasus swooping through the clouds and nearly flattening it. I blushed as I came out of that memory.

'_That isn't going to happen every week wise girl…besides I town Blackjack to land on the street next time…'_ I got lost in nostalgia again and my thoughts flashed back to that day…it saddened me to think about it. All those lives lost…a lot of them younger than I was.

'_Percy you ok?' _Annabeth asked. She could obviously read the expression on my face. I took a deep breath and tried to force a smile.

'_Yeah sure why wouldn't I be…'_

She kept her gaze on me but didn't pursue it. She turned towards the path and the morning sunrise caught her face, illuminating her features and reflecting in her eyes. Her hair moved silently in the breeze and breathed a light glow. She grabbed me hand.

'_Come on seaweed brain. My dad will get jumpy'. _I rolled my eyes.

'_Fine let's go_'. With that we finished the rest of the journey mostly in silence…

My consciousness gradually came back to the present and I went into my ward robe .Sure I had gone out a few times, but not if I could avoid it. In fact tonight was the first time I would be out in a long while. I generally tried to avoid the outside would. Constant reminders to the past were pinned everywhere. Torn up pieces of road, Building wreckages even small things like a hole in the wall where a Huntresses arrow had found purchase just brought back flashes of the fight before I didn't want to see again. I carried on rummaging through until I found what I was looking for, a plain black collared shirt. I then went to the dresser and picked out a pair of jeans. As I put them on a sudden thought came to me. _Why am I making so much effort for this girl? Its not like I usually care about my appearance that much._ After I was ready I scooped up the watch Paul had given me for my 16th and put it on. Not realising what the time was I stole a glance at it and read out the time. _Crap its quarter to 7! _If I was late she would kill me. I hurriedly picked up my phone and wallet and bolted down the stairs_. _"I hope your appreciate this wise girl!"I grumbled to myself.

While my mom and Paul were talking in the kitchen I grabbed the car keys and hoped he wouldn't be too mad when I got back. To save time jumped out the window and became water, a trick my dad had taught me shortly after the ward. I can't describe the feeling. Its like my whole body turns cold and I have no senses in my body yet I know exactly where I am and where I'm going. To the outside observed it would have looking like someone had thrown a bucket of water out of the window. I reformed just before I touched the floor; I could feel the molecules in my body knitting themselves together again. To me it felt just I had simply walked down a step on a stairwell. The evening light shone on the parking lot; cars making elongated shadows across open ground. I aimed my jump so that I would appear just next to where the car was so I wasn't too surprised when I turned to my right and saw the Prius. Not the same one as before (can you imagine explaining the hoof marks to the insurance company) but a different one. I pressed the button on the key fob and the car unlocked. As I bounded inside the car I closed the door so hard it made the vehicle shake.

I looked at my watch. Ten minutes. I turned the key in the ignition and heard the engine roar to life. I stared ahead of me at my mom's apartment. Paul was standing in the window shaking his head. I mouthed the words _Sorry_ and silently drove the car out of the car park and onto open road. I looked at myself in the car mirror and smiled despite my strange mood. As much as I hated going out these days I needed it. _So I'll force myself to enjoy it _I thought

I shook my head. _This should be an interesting night_.


	2. The Journey

**This is a bit shorter chapter than the last. Its really a filler to be honest. Still I hope you like it and you know the review button…yeah see it staring you down…you so want to press it. If you do it makes me happy and I'll keep writing…yaaaay!**

Chapter 2

The journey out was quiet and the roads were mostly empty. I drove as fast as I could without breaking the limit. If I got arrested because of speeding Annabeth would never let me hear the end of it. I twisted the dial on the radio for some decent music but there was nothing to my liking so I just opened the glove compartment and popped in a Paramore CD. As "Misery Business" came on through the speakers, I hummed along and couldn't help being a little happier now that I was out. In about 10 minutes I will be with my girlfriend and whatever had been bothering me for the last few hours would be gone, at least for a while.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I almost missed the turning for the Annabeths. While she was attending boarding school she still preferred to spend time at her dads…and mine. I jerked the wheel at the last second round the corner and nearly drove the car straight into a parked car on the corner. I heard disgruntled shouts from people on the side walk.

"Hey watch it!" one yelled at me. I held my hand up in apology and tried to park reverse my way out. Unfortunately there was a car waiting behind me so that route was pretty much taken. _Shit…_I took my attention away from the car for a second then stalled it. I could hear the 'tuts' from inside the car; some people looking at me with irritation in their eyes and others just simply laughing. I turned the key and started again

Eventually I managed to get the car to move and back on the road. I drove another couple of blocks and veered into a side road. I parked up a just in front of her house and cut the engine. I got out of the car with enthusiasm I could not contain. What I saw next took my breath away. Sitting on the edge of the pavement was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. Now I know I may be a tad biased, after all she is my girlfriend but still I could not believe how…_hot_ she looked. She was wearing a dark blue satin dress with a blue flower pinned just below her left shoulder. Her blonde hair was straighter than usual but curled up at the ends. It held a small yellow bow and another yellow flower pinned in her hair. She wore a tad more makeup than usual but not too much so that it took away the beauty of her face. She was wearing lipstick…that was unusual. As she noticed my vacant expression she laughed and took a step towards me.

"Put your tongue back in your mouth Sea weed brain" she scolded though I could definitely hear a teasing note to her tone.

She took one step closer to me. I could see her lips shining as a dazzling smile spread on her face. Her perfectly white teach showing themselves.

"If I knew I'd get this reaction just from a skimpy dress and some makeup I would have done this years ago." She laughed again.

"Uh huh" I managed to get out. She just chuckled and looked down to the floor then back up at me. I shook myself out of this trance

"You don't look so bad yourself Percy" she said with a cocky grin. With that she reached out and pulled me even close to her. I could feel her body warmth through the thin satin. Through the evening light, the orange sun blasted her face, reflecting in her grey eyes. I leant forward and we kissed, our lips melting into each other, flowing into a rhythm neither one of us wanted to stop. Eventually she broke off, still with her body touching my skin, with a dazed look on her face. She looked flustered.

"Um…err" she tried to get words out but I couldn't. I laughed. It was usually me that had this problem.

"Yes Annabeth?" I asked innocently. She blushed and looked to the floor.

"Uh…nothing". She laughed nervously.

"So…we should go or we'll miss the reservation" she said obviously trying to change the subject. I have to admit, it was fun watching her fall over her words.

"Yeah sure…but first…" I leant in and kissed her again before showing her to the passenger seat. I then got in the drivers seat and started up the ignition.

"So…Paul let you borrow the car then?" I stayed silent. I heard her whisper under her breath.

"I guess not then." I smiled, which in turn made her smile. I guess the last few years we didn't have much to smile about.

We drove for the next couple of minutes in silence, except for the background noise of the CD player. Occasionally we would steal each other glances and our eyes would meet. Sometimes we would pass streets that we remember and our smiles would fade momentarily. Nothing could lighten the fact that too many lives were lost defending this city. We kept passing stools where automatons used to be perched. The mortal public had tried to round them all up with the help of Hermes (which by the way they had no idea about), they still hadn't found all of them. There were thousands…some of them may never be found. In some places there were cracks streaking through the ground like a fissure. Mortal's probly put this down to an earthquake but it was evident to me and Annabeth that this was the work of Nico and his father. Thank the gods they were on our side. In other places there were huge chucks taken out of the walls of a random building. Looking towards downtown New York I could see the entire top of a sky scraper cut in half. Damn that stupid Drakon.

It was a good ten minutes before one of us broke the silence.

"Percy?" Annabeths voice jolted me back to reality.

"Yes?". I asked back.

"You mind telling me exactly where you are taking me?...or is it some kind of big surprise?". She said that with some bitterness that I couldn't help but laugh at. Being a child of Athena and all she prized knowledge and when she didn't know something however small it would bug her. As the laugh escaped my lips I could her growling next to me. This only made me laugh harder.

"Seriou-! "

"Okay okay!" I interrupted stopping her from going into one of her rants. Trust me when she gets going it takes a while to get her out again. Then again I can't really talk. I sighed.

"We are going to this restaurant called Bluefield's. My mom used to take me there as a kid sometimes on my birthday…Gabe hated it because of the cost but neither of us cared…I guess that's what made the idea appeal to us…so…well…I wanted to take you here because…well…I wanted to share part of childhood with you…" I couldn't say anymore. I knew how pathetic I sounded. I was starting to get emotional. I what I hadn't told her was the fact that I have not returned to this place since before Camp Half-Blood. The last time I went in here was, well the day before I me Alecto the Fury. The day before my life changed. I looked over to the passenger seat next to me briefly and saw something I didn't expect to see. Annabeths face was pointed to the floor. She wiped her left hand across her face. When she looked at me again her eyes were red and glazed, she had been crying. These were the kinds of tears I could stand, tears of joy.

"Oh perc-"she couldn't even talk. I didn't want makeup to start to running on her face and I handed her a tissue and shh-ed her, keeping my eyes on the road so I didn't crash. She leant her head against my shoulder. I could smell a flowery scent in her hair. Ok stupid thing to say since there WAS a flower in her hair but still, I inhaled slowly, taking in her smell.

After a short while she unburied herself from my shoulder. She couldn't stop smiling. Luckily her makeup had been waterproof she just wiped her face and looked pretty much as beautiful as before. She took two deep breaths. She was about to say something when I pulled up the car.

"We're here" I breathed. We had pulled just outside the restaurant overlooking lower bay. The restaurant looked just as it had the last time I had went there. Sitting on above the entrance was a big neon blue sign with "_Bluefields"_ written on it in a kind of calligraphic style script. The doors were a dark black brown mahogany wood colour. . As soon as I left the car I could smell the fresh smell of roast chicken, gammon, all sorts of food. It smelt of home. I could also faintly smell the air of the sea, the salt feeling its way through my windpipe like a breath of life. The sea was my favourite place to be. I darted round to the other side of the car and popped open the door.

"After you my lady" I said in a posh voice.

"Why thank you kind sir!" she answered back in an equally pompous manor. I took her hand and helped her out of the car. When she was out I used my free hand to close the doors and click the lock mechanism on the car keys. I heard the familiar _beep beep._ With that we slowly walked the few short steps to the door.

"This is the place?" she said in awe

"How can you afford a place like this?"

"You look beautiful" I whispered into her ear. She blushed and then looked my dead in the eye. She opened her mouth to say something but closed her mouth just as quickly. I didn't realise we were at the door until the doorman's voice interrupted my trail of thought.

"Do you have a reservation?" he said in a bored voice. I looked up to a balding man wearing a suit brandishing a clipboard. His tone much reminded me of Dionysus, the wine god. I never liked that god much. He obviously thought that we were just a couple of insolent kids trying to get into a fancy restaurant without a reservation.

"Of course" I said in an irritated tone. He arched an eyebrow at me and then took a look at my girlfriend. He did this for several seconds before turning back to his clipboard.

"Name" he said impatiently.

"Jackson" I answered. The guy started to scan quickly down the clipboard. He clearly wasn't very thorough; he just wanted to appear like he was doing his job. When he found my reservation he eyed me up and down again and scowled at me.

"Right this way" he said waving his hand in a "come here" gesture. We both followed the man inside. Our date had finally begun.


	3. Things are never that simple

**This chapter took me a little longer to write I'm sorry for the wait. To be honest I'm not totally happy with it now it's just the best I think I could put out. Please tell me what you honestly think of it. This chapter is longer than both of the previous chapters I hope you like it ****. I don't think I'm very good at action writing so please tell me otherwise lol.**

**Rated M due to violent theme**

Chapter 3

"Percy that's gross!" Annabeth laughed. I had just tried to eat part of a chicken leg and the juices just squirted up my face. Annabeth just stared me down until I got a napkin and cleared myself up. I wiped it off and took my attentions back to her. So far the date had gone pretty well. We had sat down on a private table away from the main guests and talked. I mostly let her talk. She was really excited about the work she was doing at Olympus and it was great to see her happy. Obviously I understood nothing about what she was saying, just nodding at the right places and smiling now and again. The food was brilliant as it usually was here but for once I paid no attention to it. My entire focus was the girl with the blonde hair and the grey eyes sitting opposite me talking about the dimensions and sizing of the new columns being built at Zeus's new temple.

When she finally came up for air we met eyes; my sea green meeting her penetrating storm grey. She gave her signature smile and spoke again.

"So I'd say today's been a relative success don't you?"

"No monsters trying to kill me yet" I grinned "but there is still time to go yet."

"Isn't there always" Annabeth said she reached across and took my hand. This felt like such a normal thing to do in a lifetime that's been anything but normal. A waiter walked past and I called him over and asked him for the bill. We were both stuffed and taking on desert would have been too much for us. I never let my eyes stray from Annabeth. At the corner of my eye I could see a man with black hair sitting on a nearby table scowling at me. Probly just some jealous punk I suppose. _Get your own girlfriend_ I thought. As he noticed that I was looking at him his expression changed got up slowly started slowly walking over. _Oh god_ I thought_ is there no peace_. Today had been going so well. There was no longer a scowl on his face. It was a mask of pure hatred. The boy was about my age, with yet black dyed hair and brown eyes. He wore a black trench coat and black jeans.

"So-" Annabeth tried to get out but the stranger interrupted. She didn't notice the boy approaching until he spoke. It made her jump

"You killed my master" he growled waving his forefinger at me and Annabeth. His voice sounded scratchy and hoarse. Annabeth twisted her neck and to face the man, her back still facing them. His expression didn't change. Both me and her knew we could take care of ourselves. He reached down to his belt and slowly pulled out a sword. I could hear it scraping against his scabbard but no-one seemed to notice; fucking mist. He waved it in the air and swung it in a salute. He made an arm gesture and 4 guys from the table he was sitting at walked came over. The each wore the same cloths and the same expression that the lead had. I was about to ask who their master was when Annabeth mouthed _Kronos Supporters_. This wasn't good. The other men whipped out their swords with the same metal on metal scraping noise. Five celestial bronze swords were drawn, each up to a metre long.

Screaming suddenly started all around me. While the mist hides truth from mortal eyes, I'm pretty sure they still registered five angry looking men holding weapons of some kind advancing on an innocent couple. One of the waiters tried to be brave and charged at the group but the man in front flicked his hand and a fireball appeared in his hand. He flicked it again and it blasted him through a wall. People were running in all directions; I could hear the clattering of silverware and china from the kitchen. People were tripping over their tables and falling over. I could hear cries of "terrorists!" and "call the cops" mixed in with the surprised terror of the mayhem.

While all this was calmly happening around him the lead smiled and spoke in a clear voice.

"Now, you will die. It's been a fun ride…FOR KRONOS!" After that things happened very quickly. The front man charged at the seat where Annabeth was sitting. She suddenly got up and kicked backward on the chair legs sending it flying legs first into his stomach. As he doubled over she drew her knives. As Lukes knife held bad memories for her she had recently required new ones. She tried to disarm him as he was stumbling over but another supporter came in and intercepted the blow. She danced in a flurry of movements cutting and stabbing. She was in a trance. This all happened in a few seconds. I dived over the table and rolled on the floor drawing Riptide in a swift smooth movement. I could hear a low thump as my body practically bounced off the floor. One of the men tried to intercept my jump but my sword pounded straight through him and we both clattered to the floor. I dragged the swood out of his carcuss and blood sprayed me in the face and up my arm. I twisted my sword and blood spurted out of his mouth and onto the floor. Normally I wouldn't kill but it was too late for him. I was doing him a favour. Blood dripped off my chin like water and I spat on the floor . I got up and engaged the nearest two soldiers. As my head swung, blood of the dead man splashed in their face and they flinched slightly. I was just about to press the advantage when they charged. I kept them both as busy as I could. They attacked and attacked and attacked and I matched their movements blow for blow. I couldn't take time too see what Annabeth was doing and neither could I dwell on it. All I could hear was the crash and clang of metal on metal.

I pushed forward and locked swords with one of the enemy half bloods. I was there for barely a second when the second swung his blade thinking he would land the fatal blow. I could my own reflection briefly in the polished metal; a feral snarl etched on my face covered in splattered gore. I had just enough time to break away from the sword lock before the blade came crashing my way. Due the opponent's momentum, he stumbled right into the place where I was standing. I didn't watch to see what happened next, I already knew. My focus was on how Annabeth was doing. I glanced over across the room and saw her in a frenzied fight with the leader. Neither was giving an inch to each other, both parties putting their all in their fight. The look on her face was wild with concentration. I could see one of her adversaries lying a few meters to the left of her with a slit throat, completely unmoving. A scarlet puddle was forming on the wooden floor. My battle trained senses heard the sound of breathing behind me; I had just enough time to sidestep before the meter of celestial bronze cut through the air I was standing in. Immediately I had to turn my back on my girlfriend and re-engage. I did not like that. I whirred round at frightening speed, beating his sword. I worked into a fast rhythm of parrying and thrusting.

I don't need to be defensive. I'm practically invulnerable. My only week spot is my Achilles heal, and that's on the small of my back and I wasn't giving this man a chance. I didn't want to kill him I only needed to incapacitate him. I've seen too much death already. I glanced over at Annabeth briefly to see how she was doing. My opponent thinking he had his chance aimed a stab at my midsection. I didn't even bother to get out the way. What should have gone through flesh and bone just bounced off my skin. The force off the thrust broke the blade and I watched as the two pieces fell to the ground. He fell to the floor, eyes rolling, clutching his arm that was now bent at a very awkward angle. I could see a white line pointing out of his elbow with blood squirting around it.

"Oit! Fuckface!" I yelled at him. He turned his head to look up out of reflex. I smashed the pommel of Anaklusus into his skull and he dropped to the floor unconscious.

The fight wasn't over. Four metres in front of me, Annabeth was still fighting like a crazed lion. Every strike the opponent, the group leader made, she was equal. _Up, down, left, right, left, left, down, up, right, left_! Annabeth couldn't lose. I know her too well to know she never loses: The look of determination on her face, her grace in combat: Her unrelenting energy. I was only watching them for a total of two seconds before I walked in to finish the fight. I didn't need to. Annabeth danced into a spin attacking his face and chest in a flurry of blows. Not having the speed to block with he jumped back. Annabeth stabbed at his thigh as she regained her footing causing him to lose balance. She finally slammed her hand into his chest and he fell backwards, his body ploughing through a restaurant table.

An awkward silence followed, Annabeth facing the unconscious body on the floor with a sad look on her face. _Dammit! Why cant I have a fucking meal without getting attacked. The whole day is ruined!_ My girlfriend tilted her head up slightly and looked into my eyes. Her face was matted with blood and grime. She was practically dripping with sweat. Her eyes held sadness and you could see the fury behind them. She stood up and walked towards me.

"We have to get out of here. More will come". Her voice was almost a monotone. She was so distraught that it looked like talking was straining her. She wiped some grime off her fore head. Her dress was tattered and dyed crimson on blue and her hair was tangled with dried blood. Her expression slowly changed from sadness to cold hearted fury. Even in the state she was in, she looked beautiful. She walked with a hunter's grace, poised like an angel of death. She could have scared the Kraken into a hole in he ground the way she looked now.

As if on queue, more men with swords came in the room. Annabeth whispered.

"No_ monsters trying to kill me yet_?. She mock imitated my voice.

"Well technically they are not "monsters "Wise Girl!" I retorted still whispering.

"Oh Shut _up_ Seaweed Brain" she snapped. A creek near the main entrance brought us back to a fighting stance. We both lined up next to each other, with her on the left and me on the right. A maze of upturned furniture separated us from the way out. I counted another 7 warriors, men and woman alike making their way to us in a line. They didn't need to hurry. We had nowhere to go; they coming from the only place available to us.

"Any ideas?" I asked hopefully to Annabeth.

"Um…fight our way past 7 warriors and somehow back to your house?" she said hopefully. She didn't sound optimistic. Though I could survive the fight most likely, as good as my girlfriend is, she's not invincible. And I would NOT let anyone anywhere near her. Not after all we have been through.

Another 3 warriors came in brandishing long bows. Why the fuck are the police not here already? Not that they could do anything but at least it might scare them off. The trio, fast as lightening, pulled the bows up to their ears and fired, the sudden rush of air hitting the flights of the arrows; but not at me. _No…no! _my thoughts screamed. A pull in my stomach tugged and I could feel the power building in the space around me. As I let loose the walls exploded, a cascade of water bounding in like a tidal wave, the force knocking everyone but me and Annabeth to the floor. The arrows that were loosed were thrown off course and spun wildly a few metres wide. They had been in the air for less than a tenth of a second. The water had hit them at over 200 miles an hour. I used my control of water to form arms and currents to bombarded the intruders and force them back. They couldn't handle it. Sensing victory, I held my hand out in front of me and the entire contents in the room fell on top of them. I moulded the current so the liquid flowed out of the front door and into the outside streets. There were pots and pans and broken plates spread everywhere. Bricks and tiles from the destroyed wall were scattered on the wooden floor. I could see into the room. By the looks of it I had totally destroyed the kitchen

The man I fought with the broken arm came back to conciousness and tried to walk. He hobbled on his feet and looked at us behind glassy eyes. He didn't bother attacking. Annabeths scared face bored into me.

"We've got to get out of here!" She shouted urgently.

"Agreed" I said. I capped Riptide and took her hand. It was wet from sweet but I was glad to take it. I could feel her shaking against my skin. She was a mess. We ran out the door and straight to where our car was parked, just down the road barely 20 metres from the place. I took a glance back to the restaurant. Fuck knows how they are going to explain this. _Men with swords went ape shit_. Just then the entrance sign fell down onto the floor in a shower of sparks. What a mess. Annabeth hurriedly ran to the passenger seat as I unlocked the car and jumped in.

"_What_ was _that!" _I asked Annabeth who was hurriedly jamming her seatbelt in its holster. I heard a click she turned to face me. I was surprised by the anger in her eyes.

"Are you stupid Seaweed Brain! Did you really think there wouldn't be some repercussions to defeating Kronos? Some angry supporters? God you can be so dense!". I fired up the engine and looked her dead in the eye.

"Ok fine!..." I wanted to say something else but now wasn't the time. The people that attacked us were groggily getting up. Annabeth simply sat back in the chair, looked up to the roof and let out a long breath.

"Is the house still warded?" she asked. I got my house warded with some help from the Hecate kids and Chiron so monsters couldn't get in or out.

"Of course" I said. I thought she was going to say something but she just turned her gaze from me and looked out the windshield. A small strand of hair was dangling in front of her. As she noticed it she lightly blew it away.

"Ok…". Her voice trailed off. I could tell she was a little shaken. She was still taking sharp intakes of breath and her eyes could not stop moving; scanning the surroundings for danger. Realising that I wasn't likely to get anything intelligent out of her for a while, I put my foot on the accelerator and drove away. I wanted to get as far away from that war zone as possible. I took a left, then a right, then a left again. The girl next to me started to grown calmer, her breathing steadying. I could hear barking coming from behind the car. That's weird I didn't know there was a dog breeders round here. The bark happened again…this time…closer? What? My eyes found the car mirrors. Hellhounds! Where in Hades did they get Hellhounds! Four of the beats were chasing the Prius and were gaining.

I slammed my foot on the accelerator hard. This was going to get interesting. 40mph…50mph…60….70. I darted in and out of parked cars. As I got faster some of the dogs morphed into shadow. There was no way I could outrun this.

"Annabeth?" I questioned. I couldn't turn to look at her my eyes were too focussed on keeping this bucket of bolts in one piece.

"Yes?" she answered, her scared voice small.

"Glove compartment…gun with celestial bronze bullets…it would be real nice it you could start shooting"

"Why Percy I think I can manage that" she managed to say. Her voice was still scared but I could hear the challenge. She still wanted people to pay for ruining our date. The fact that they were Hellhounds didn't matter. To a woman it doesn't matter who pays as long as someone does. Trust me. I know. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a hand rummaging through the the glove compartment. I heard the familiar click of someone cocking a pistol.

"Be careful" I warned. I could hear her sigh. I felt her lips kiss my cheek.

"Don't worry…Its me" she quipped…obviously someone was feeling more cheerful and its been what…3 minutes…women.

"Do you even know how to use a gun"

"Do we really have time to practice here?" she countered, obviously irritated. She had a point.

I heard a crash behind me. I glanced into the mirror and had just enough time to swerve the car to the left before a car soared over my head and came clattering down bonnet first onto the road. I heard a few loud bangs from inside the car. Annabeth was shooting. It was dark which only made it easier for the dogs to go in and out of shadow. I could barely see them and Im sure Annabeth had the same problem. Sometimes the only indication to where they were was more cars being flung at me. I swerved, braked, drifted and did almost every car manoeuvre possible to keep them at bay but they were still coming. One of them got cocky and tried to jump the car. I only saw him last minute as his shadow was passing under a street lamp. As soon as it materialised into a physical being from its shadow form, it dissolved into dust. Annabeth shot it almost point black in the face at the expense of a sunroof.

"Pauls going to kill me" I mumbled as I swerved again as a pick up truck was thrown at me. It missed and ploughed straight into the side of a house. I took a turn to the left into a side road as yet another car was hurled towards where me. I heard a bang where it made contact with the side of a block of flats and exploded. I instinctively crouched into the stearing wheel as bits of debris rained down on the car like hail. A twisted piece of metal smashed into the windscreen and sent shards of glass flying everywhere. I closed my eyes for a split second to avoid getting blinded.

"Percy watch out!" Annabeth screamed. _Shit!_ I thought. I opened my eyes and the car was heading straight for someone's front lawn. I yanked the steering wheel sideways trying desperately to get the car away from the house. The back wheels kicked up grass and mud before it finally found its grip and sped off. I saw in my mirrors an old man come out waving a walking stick but he dived back inside quickly. Whatever he saw it couldn't have been good. We were only a few minutes from the house. I could physically see the building behind the houses in front. Annabeth kept firing out of window. Every now and again a Hellhound would disappear into smoke, indicating that a round had found its purchase but then another one would take its place. While in shadow form the dogs were invulnerable but they could only stay that way for a short amount of time due to the fact that if they did, they would over run their prey…in this case unfortunately that was us. Annabeth had only about a few seconds to loose her rounds each time and even at the best of times hitting a moving Hellhound at speed is tricky. I kept my eyes on the road only looking up to anticipate cars being thrown. Every time I came across someone driving a car in front of me or going the other way, they would break hard and get the hell out of the way. God knows what they thought was happening. Cars were being catapulted into they air like they were made of Styrofoam. Finally I skidded into the car park, I could hear the wheels screech as I turned the corner desperately trying to avoid a Hellhound trying to jump on the roof again. As the car skidded sideways, Annabeth shot straight out the window, now with a perfect line of sight from the side on view. She vaporized it instantly and as the one behind tried to jump the car, he was gone just as fast. They were gone for now but I could near more growling coming from the street we had just come from.

I drove the car as close to the building as I could. I glanced up briefly to my apartment window. I could the outline of my mother staring out the window. As I drew closer I could see the horrored look on her face. Her shoulders dropped and she disappeared from sight. When I was as close as I could get I cut the engine and got out the car. It was a mess but a lot better than it could have been but I still am not looking forward to explaining this to Paul. A long scratched was etched on the driver's side and five slashes were cut across the car roof where a hellhound had managed to jump. The headlights were smashed and there was grass and mud stuck to the wheel arches. I crouched down to speak to Annabeth who was still sitting down.

"Get out and run! I'll hold them-"

"No!" Annabeth yelled as she disengaged the seat belt. She gave me a death glare and was surprised by the fire in her eyes.

"Together" she said opening the door and stepping outside. The noises were getting louder. We hadn't got much time.

"You've got to be kidding wise girl! You could get torn to shreds…I…I can't lose you again" I said, my voice wavering on the last word. I had to look down. When I looked back up she stood outside the car, leaning on the hood with a look of blind determination.

"You won't" she said quietly. With that she walked round the car and gave me a kiss on the lips. I could see tears in her corner of her eyes when she broke away. I heard another growl coming from the far end of the car park. I also heard a creek from the double doors that lead into the main building. I could see my mother standing there waving at me to come in. _What the hell…is she trying to get killed?_ I wanted to wave her back inside but just then I heard the sound I least wanted to hear. I heard the familiar growling, but it was alot closer. I turned around to four shadow figures materialising into their solid forms . They were at the other end of the cark, fanning out so they could circle us.

"They're here…" I said quietly.

"You think?" Annabeth said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and raised her gun. _Good_ I thought. The lead monster roared. The sound shoot the building and I could hear windows cracking. One of the windows near the top of the building completely smashed, raining glass all over the tarmac. Some of the residents took a look out the window. To be honest I would…the noise was horrific. The beast snarled again snapping its jaws taking a step closer. It looked to the left and right the back at us.

"Seaweed brain?...I think now would be a good time to err…run don't you think." She said shakily. I took a glance at her. Her face was almost white.

"I think…yeah run!" I said. The monsters charged. I bolted it towards the doors, Annabeth right next to me. I grabbed her hand and she used her free arm to fire pot shots at the advancing foe. The gun was a gift from Hephaestus, for the whole save Olympus thing you know. And now Typhon was under the sea he could also go back to using his forge at Mount St. Helens. It's funny how thankful people can get after doing them a small favour like that. She kept firing but the hounds didn't even flinch. We were now only a few metres away from the door.

"Come on Percy!" I heard my mother scream. One of them was about to jump when Annabeth turned it into a pile of dust. The other three carried on the charge. Annabeth took out one on the run but she couldn't react for the second. Seeing the danger I stopped running, dropped Annabeths hand and uncapped Riptide. As it jumped I thrust the blade into its stomach. Normally this would be very dangerous and Id get raked by his claws but now they just bounced harmlessly off my skin. It screeched in agony before it disappeared into nothing. Annabeth grabbed my hand and the last monster lunged. Where I was a second ago the beast crashed. It didn't take long for him to recover. Annabeth flung me inside the open door and she closed it behind her. Just before it closed I could see the monster pouncing forward. I spun around with riptide and stabbed it through the door as it shut. I heard the familiar sound of sword meeting flesh and bone and a cry of pain that almost made me feel sorry for it. I could feel the blade holding its weight for a few seconds then it disappeared. It was dead. I capped Riptide, put it in my pocked and turned around. I could see the look of shock on my moms face. She looked exactly the same as when I left her. Annabeth was slumped on the floor in exhaustion, gun in hand. Threw it back to me and I caught it. I put it into my belt. I could finally see relief on her bloodied face. She gave a short hysterical laugh and got up to give me a hug. We made it. I just stood there for a few minutes, holding this girl in my arms, thanking the gods that we made it home. I broke away and looked her straight in the eyes.

"I love you" I said. It was the first time I had said this to her. I had always known this to be true but I had never told her. She gave me a fierce look and kissed me. I could feel the passion behind it and I wanted to stay like that forever. I didn't care that she was covered in blood nor that we were both drenched in sweat and grime. I only cared that she was mine. My mother cleared her throat behind me. She broke away from the kiss but not from my embrace and blushed. So did I to be honest I momentarily got lost in the moment and forgot we were no longer alone. She gave me a wink and whispered into my ear.

"I love you too". My heart did a back flip in my chest and I smiled. We finally broke away completely and face my mom. The look on her face suggested she was just as embarrassed as us at this very moment. We both simultaneously laughed.

"What happened? Are you ok I was worried sick out there…don't…don't do that to me ever again." she said in a bored frantic tone.

"Do you just pick a fight with every monster you come across! I should lock you in your room and put bars on your window" she said though I could sense a smile forming in the corner of her mouth. She was just glad I was ok really.

"Well mom we had…a complication at the restaurant…"

"What happened…?" she said in a bored voice. We laughed again. It's amazing how unsurprised demigod parents can be when they see their child home in this state. I was just about to answer why my mom put her hand up in interruption.

"In fact never mind we'll talk later. You two look awful" she stated. We felt awful I looked down at myself for the first time I had since I put my cloths on to assess the damage. My shirt was completely ruined. Scratches were everywhere. Right across the front was claw marks where I had lunged at that hellhound and there was blood all over me. Where the shirt used to be white, now it was mostly a deep blood red. It reminded me of a tie-dye. I ran my hand through my hair and it was matted with congealed blood. When looked at my hand afterwards it was red and had horrible dark clumps in it where an adversary's blood had hardened. I was about to use my sleeve to wipe my face when I noticed that too was filthy. I was a walking wreck.

I felt as awful as I looked. I could feel my muscles were tired from fighting and I struggled to contain a yawn. Now we were safe, the adrenaline was leaving my body, and I could feel it. We both could. Annabeth almost looked asleep and she rested her head on my shoulder. I put my arm around her and rubbed her gently. My mom gestured me to come upstairs. I followed slowly up the stairs and onto the hallway. When we got to the door my mom knocked three times. Obviously in our rush she had forgotten the keys. I stood back slightly; already deciding Id let my mom do the talking. I was tired. Though the small glass window on top of the door I could see a light switch on, breathing light into the dark hallway. I heard the _–thump- -thump- _of footsteps and the door creaked open. Paul's face peered through the gap in the door. He looked at my mom with frantic eyes. The same kind of expression my mom would give me after Id gotten my self into a "little problem", as we liked to call them now.

"Sally! Where were you! You just ran out the door looking like your running for your life! You didn't even tell me where you were going!" his worried voice warmed me inside. It was great to have someone around that love my mother almost as much as I do. I could physically see the worry in his face. So intent he was on her that he didn't notice the two walking corpses standing behind her.

"I…went downstairs". Paul was about to say something but my mother cut him off.

"Annabeth will be staying here tonight can you called her father for me please?" she said in a _don't ask why just do it _kind of voice. Paul looked at her with slight confusion as if trying to decipher the meaning of her tone.

"Don't change the-"then it finally clicked inside his head "Oh…um…ok…I take it they are back". He slumped against the doorframe. His eyes suddenly found us and his face recoiled in shock.

"_My god…_" he whispered. He eyed us both up and down for a few seconds.

"How di-"

"We'll explain later" I mumbled. Paul gave us both questioning looks and retreated back inside. My mother turned to look at me.

"You smell awful" My mom joked. She then laughed which in turn made me laugh as well.

"I could of told you that Seaweed Brain" Annabeth mumbled on my shoulder. She wasn't completely asleep then. I gave her a nudge in the ribs

"Ow!" she complained. I forgot she was probly bruised from the fight.

"Sorry" I whispered. She moved her head and her eyes fluttered open. She gave me a warm smile and kissed me once on the lips before standing straight again.

"Tis ok". She sounded shattered, which to be honest, we both were. I let my hand drop from her waist and lace her fingers and we finally walked inside.


	4. Tired Body, Tired Mind

**Hello readers sorry it took a few days to get over writers block and finish this. By the way check out Wisegirlindisguise she has some amazing stories and I really think you should check them out her stories are so origonal and I really think you guys should read them.**

Chapter 4

I slumped into the coach and stared at the floor. I could not believe what had happened today. I thought this shit was over. Done. After five years of fighting you would expect to be given some kind of break. I felt empty and shattered. It felt like no matter how many monsters I cut down there will always be more to take its place; a perpetual motion machine of conflict. Shortly after I got in a letter appeared on the kitchen table. No-one had came in or out the apartment so I couldn't guess who it was. When I opened it, the letter simply said the police had been "Dealt with". There was no name but I recognised the handwriting. My dad had sorted things out. That's good to hear. It still didn't distract me from the fact that the war was supposed to be over and I was still getting hunted. I heard a creak and slowly the bathroom door opened. A girl with blonde hair stood before me wrapped in a white towel. Stray drops of water were dripping down from her freshly washed hair and her face was bright and fresh from finally being clean again. The way the towel was wrapped I could see every curve of her body and I knew that the towel was the only thing covering her body. I felt my stomach do a double take at the thought and I blushed. I sat staring at her for a few more seconds.

"…Percy?...hello?". _What? Oh crap she must have said something_. She laughed and walked over to me and sat on the couch next to me. I was already clean as I had taken my shower earlier before Annabeth. Sounds Selfish I know but there was a lot of blood in her hair and my mom wanted to comb all the mess out before she showered properly.

I could feel the body heat radiating from her as her covered body touched my skin. I felt shivers go down my spine. She just smiled and faced me.

"I said have you got any spare cloths all mine are at my house...can you stop looking at my cleavage!". _Whoops…_

"Percy!". I snapped my head up. She laughed and gave me a funny look. I tried my best to keep my mind on her question and not her body.

"Erm…yeah I'll go get you one of my old sweatshirts". I ran through the hall to my room and opened the door. Before I could turn to close it again I saw a blur of blonde and white clatter into me and bundle me onto the bed. I smiling face looked down on me.

"Annabeth...do you want to give my mom a heart attack?" I laughed. Annabeth was only wearing a towel and I was shirtless and only wearing a pair of shorts. She laughed and lent further into me, bending down for a kiss. I didn't protest. As she kissed me my brain melted into lava and all I could think about was kissing her back. I wrapped my arms around her back moving them down slowly. I was just near nearing her the bottom of her back when I realised the towel had started to come loose and it was only just covering her and my fingers were now on bare skin. She noticed too and pulled back.

"Behave Seaweed Brain" she scolded with a smile. I moved my left hand up and started stroking her hair. It was still damp from the wash.

"Me? As I recall it was you who started this" I smiled and pulled her head closer so I could kiss her again. I couldn't tell how long we were; I was only pulled back to reality when I heard someone clearing their throat. The sound startled both of us. Annabeth immediately clambered off me and grabbed the loose bits of towel and held them tightly. I sat up straight and lent my back against the wall.

At the door was my mother wearing the most embarrassed expression I had ever seen her in. It looked like she didn't know what to say next. She opened closed her mouth like a goldfish.

"Ah…err…so…err…there's mugs of cocoa on the table if you want it…". It took all the control in the world to stop myself from laughing. I looked next to me and saw my girlfriend have the same problem. She bit her lip and replied.

"Thank you Mrs Jackson, we will be there in a minute". My mother smiled and walked away. When she was out of view, Annabeth and I burst out laughing.

"I think…my dear Annabeth, we have…now scared my dear mother…for life." I said in between laughs. Annabeth slowly stopped laughing and looked at me again.

"So?...cloths?". I forgot

"Oh yeah" I got up and rushed to the dresser. I pulled out the first thing that I could see, which happened to be a very big plain grey sweatshirt that was bought for me 3 years ago…it still didn't fit me now. I showed it to Annabeth and she laughed. I was about to put it back and look for something else when she stopped me.

"That will be fine…and its nice to see that I have that effect on you". She smiled and took the garment off me. I didn't know what she meant by that last comment until I looked down.

"Ah…but…err…". I was so embarrassed she simply chuckled and turned around. Luckily she didn't need to worry about trousers or jeans because last time she had been round she had stashed some in my draws. I had to hide them at the back in case my mom found them and asked questions. Its amazing the things my mom doesn't know about. I went to the bottom drawer and pushed my hand right to the back to grab her pair of jeans. I threw them towards her on the bed and got a belt out of the same draw and threw it on the bed. I didn't dare look at her for fear of the triumphant look on her face.

"I'll…be in the dining room" I said. I walked out the room and let her get changed in peace. I slumped in a dining chair and my mom set down a mug of hot cocoa in front of me and another one in front of the chair beside me.

"Thanks" I mumbled. The smell coming from the mug emphasised how tired I was. Shoulders felt heavy and I was having to concentrate just to keep my eyes open. I absently swirled a teaspoon in my cocoa kept my face pointed towards the table. I felt beaten. It seemed that for me and Annabeth there would always be fighting, after all, we are half bloods. The thing I hadn't realised was how soon after Kronos fell we would have to be dealing with yet another problem. I put me head In my hands and took a deep breath. _It's too late to be thinking about this_ I thought. I brought the mug to my lips and let the warm liquid flow through my aching body. I could feel my body relax as I drank more and I gradually managed to feel slightly better. My mom was sitting at the table watching me the entire time thought I barely noticed. I heard rather than saw the bedroom door open behind me and Annabeth entered the room. I turned my head to face her. Even that seemed like a colossal effort at that moment. She came over to me and kissed me before sitting herself down on the chair beside me. She noticed the mug set out for her and reached out to grab it. She started sipping and sat there with me, without saying a word. After about fifteen minutes of complete silence my Mom cleared her throat and started conversation.

"So" she started looking back and forth between both of us. I just noticed that Paul had grabbed a chair next to Mom and was now looking at us both in the same worried expression that my mother held.

"Tell me what happened". I could tell by her expression that there was no way I could lie at this moment. The evidence was all over my ruined cloths.

"Well…do we have to do this now?" I asked. I just wanted to go to bed.

"No tell me now and don't sugar coat please". I smiled. It looked like we weren't going anywhere until we answered her questions. Paul just sat there unmoving with a neutral expression on his face.

"Well…ok here's what happened…" So I told her. About the confrontation in the restaurant, the chase back to the apartment and the part that she bear witness to, the hellhounds in the parking area. All through this she kept quiet nodding and looking at us both intently. When I finally finished she simply sighed and sat back in her chair. Paul looked irritated that I had practically totalled another one of his cars. He was going to scold us when my mom held up her hand and told him she'd deal with it. While he walked out of the room in a huff my mum kept us behind.

"Well I'm glad your safe…sounds like you've had quite a night. I'll speak to Paul I'm sure he will calm down just…ask before you borrow his car next time yeah" she smiled and went to walk out of the room before turning round.

"You two should go to bed…Annabeth you can use the sofa bed". She said looking at me with her eyebrows arched. I didn't know what the joke was but Annabeth obviously got it as she was struggling to hold back a laugh. She turned around.

"Goodnight" she said while rounding a corner to her bedroom. Annabeth was still smiling.

"What?" I asked. She kept on smiling.

"What!" I asked again. I couldn't help smiling as well now. _Damn that girl._ Her smile grew wider. She lent in to kiss me and walked into the living room and I followed. My mom had already pulled the bed out and now the sofa was a full size double bed in the middle of the room. As she got the bed she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a light hug. She pulled away then kissed me again. I had to use my own arms to keep her upright. She was very tired. We stayed in each others embrace for a few seconds then let her get into bed. When she was in bed I lent over her and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight" I whispered in her ear. I got up and walked towards my bedroom. I took one glance back and creaked open the door.

It was 4am and for some reason I still couldn't get to sleep. I just lay there staring at the ceiling. My limbs and body felt tired. My eyes were heavy and there was nothing to stop them from shutting all night. Yet I still couldn't fall asleep. My mind just kept going over the events that happened last night. I hadn't even thought about the fighting at the time but now I look back on it, I felt a pit in my stomach full of guilt. These people had been brainwashed by the Titan and I had swept them from the face of the earth as if they were vermin. I could remember the horrored faces of the people that now lay dead. One of them was barely twelve, possibly younger. Younger than I was when I first went to camp and I had ran a blade through his chest and ended whatever chance he had of a happy life. The scary thing was that at the time I didn't even care. A twelve year old boy was lying dead on the floor and didn't even bat an eye. I could, have killed hundreds and hundreds of demigods in one night and it wouldn't bother me because the war had sapped all sense of conscience. Sure I would feel it afterwards but by that time there was no writing my wrongs I had already laid waste to living, breathing people that no matter what belief they had, didn't deserve it. All those families I have destroyed. Sure I tried to tell myself it was necessary. That they had gave me no other choice. That may be true but I couldn't stop the ever growing blanket of helplessness that was enveloping me with despair.

I groggily god out of bed and went to my draw as quietly as I could. I didn't want to wake anyone up. My mom would kill me if she knew what I was doing. Underneath my socks in the top draw was a box of cigarettes that I kept. Now I know what you're thinking. When the hell did Percy Jackson start smoking? Well the short answer is I don't. Not really anyway. I suppose it was just a social thing me and Nico do. I won't waste time explaining why I did it. I grabbed the box, pulled out a cigarette and lit it with a lighter I had hidden in the same draw. This helped me relax and think. I took in a deep breath and laid back into the wall. Luckily the window was open so I could dispose of the evidence. I just sat there with my legs hanging off the side of the bed, trying to shake my feelings of guilt. I was startled when my door creaked open. It wasn't that loud but when you're in total silence, a pin dropping sounds like a bomb going off. I thought about flinging my cigarette out the window but the smell was in the air so that would be pointless. What surprised me was it wasn't my mothers face at the door. It was Annabeth. She poked her head through the doorway. The light from the moon outside lit up part of her face; I could her left eye reflecting the low light. I could see the moon in her eyes. Her hair glistened with beauty.

"Are you…oh good your awake…I can't sleep can I come in?" I nodded. She slowly walked in and her eyes widened at the lit fag.

"You smoke?" she said her eyes still wide.

"Mmmm" I shrugged "helps me relax". She sat down next to me on the bed and rested her head on my shoulder.

"If you don't mind me asking why are you up?" She asked, more into my body than my face. She wrapped her arms around my body. Her hair smelled like lemon soap, just like it always does.

"Couldn't sleep either…" As I trailed off she unburied herself from my shoulder and looked my in the eyes with concern. Damn it that girl can see through me like a pane of glass. Why did I have to fall for a child of Athena, and not just a child of Athena but probly the smartest one?

"What's wrong Percy" she asked. I couldn't lie to her and she knew it. Just one deep look into those grey eyes and I would spill my inner most secrets.

"I don't know" I replied. I shifted uncontrollably from side to side.

"I just look at all the things I've done and all the people that have died and start to think well…is it worth it…its getting to the point I don't even care anymore. I killed a twelve year old yesterday! A twelve year old! Does that make me a hero? To kill children just because they have been brainwashed to think something else? Its messed up. I…I" my voice broke and I started crying. Annabeth lent into me again and I let myself fall into her arms. _What the hell is wrong with me_ I thought? I wanted to say something but I couldn't. Unwanted tears kept leaking from my eyes and I just sat there, laying into Annabeth while she whispered comforts into my ear. When I eventually pulled away she yelped. I had accidentally burnt her with a still lit cigarette.

"Sorry! I forgot it was still lit!" I said holding my hands up in apology. I barely got it out before she cut in.

"Don't worry…do you have any more?" Annabeth said slightly shakily but never the less, smiling. I couldn't tell for sure but I could have sworn that she had been crying as well, the moonlight illuminating streaks of tears lining her cheeks. I smiled and got up to the dresser to pull out the box. I handed one to her. She put it to her mouth and I lit it for her. I pulled one out as well. She arched an eyebrow.

"Well I did get most of the last one on your back". She smiled slightly and took in a deep breath. She blew out the smoke and replied.

"I guess…you shouldn't have let me see this now I have something to hold over you if I ever need leverage". I cocked an eyebrow.

"You wouldn't". I smiled. Why did this girl have to make me feel better all the time? Why can't I ever enjoy being miserable?

"I would Seaweed Brain and you know it!" I pretend to think about it for a second.

"I guess your right Wise Girl". She has me a smirk and used her sleeve to rub her eyes. I could tell she didn't want me to know she had been crying and I had no intention of bringing it up. I just let it be.

For a while we just sat there smoking in silence, enjoying each others company. We didn't need to talk to each other; we knew exactly what the other was thinking. We flicked out butts out the window and snuggled together on the bed. I picked up an air refresher I had stashed under the bed and gave my room a quick spray and then simply lay still. Rubbing each others skin, we relaxed in each others warm embrace. I didn't care what my mom found in the morning. After a short while we lay our heads on the pillow and closed our eyes, knowing that with each other in our arms, our worries would be gone for the night. I felt Annabeths breathing slow, knowing that she was now asleep; I opened my eyes again and watched her for a few minutes. The silver light coming in through the window illuminated the beauty in her form, her soft, pale skin, her shiny blonde curls…There was not one part of her that I could not find beauty in. After a few minutes I realised it was probly smart to go to sleep. I needed my energy. Closing my eyes for the last time, I let myself and I felt my body and mind drift into a sleep that was much awaited.


	5. Visitor

**Sorry that it took so long to update. I couldnt think of where I wanted to go so I made this filler. I hope you enjoy it. I wanted it to be longer but I thought better of it. Please review. Thanks**

**$hadowz**

Chapter 5

I woke with a start, my eyelids flashing open as soon as I heard my mom's startled voice.

"Percy what are you doing!". Her voice shouted from the door to my room. I could feel Annabeth waking up at the loud noise. Groggily she raised her head. My arms were still around her waist and we were both on our side. My chin was resting on the top of her head. She started to lift up her head and her body shifted.

"Um what?" she said, dazed and squinting in the morning light. Rather than let my mom keep ranting, I simple held my hand up in the air.

"Nothing happened mom we were just sleeping…she couldn't sleep so she came and slept with me". She gave me a disapproving look. She obviously didn't believe me.

"Honestly mom". I rolled my eyes embarrassed at the hidden accusation. I untangled myself from Annabeth and sat up. I had a look at my watch, not that it mattered; school doesn't start for a few days yet. 9:02, gods five hours sleep. Just five bloody hours. My limbs felt even heavier than they day before. Annabeth was still rousing herself out of bed, with a certain lethargy that went with having only 5 hours sleep. Her hair was a bird's nest where she had been laying as well. She lent in to kiss me then got up. My mom was still at the door with a disapproving look on her face. Annabeth, realising that the only way to please my mom at this moment was to leave the room, walked towards the door and past my mother. She mouthed behind her _Good luck_, gave me a wink and skipped off. What did that mean? Mom just stood there and edged slowly into the room, as if she didn't want to be there yet felt obliged to. Her expression changed from her previous disapproval to a caring parent and she sat herself down at the end of the bed.

"Percy…I have noticed you seem to be becoming…a lot closer to Annabeth". I shifted uncomfortably. It was true yes, but what brought this on I have no idea.

"Erm…yeah…I guess".

"I've also noticed you seem to be err…more physically involved…" _Wait…oh gods she's not really doing this is she_. "I just want you to tell me your being careful" _Oh Hades she is_ "and-". I had to cut her off I could feel the blood rushing to my face from embarrassment.

"MOM! We are not doing the sex talk!" I shouted almost a little too loudly. I was so embarrassed I could barely think clearly.

"Percy I am only-" I stopped her again.

"I know but…just don't" I got up and walked almost ran to the door but my moms voice stopped me again.

"Percy?" she said softly. I turned around and look at her. My eyes still needed to adjust to the glare of the sun and it took me a while to actually see her properly. When I could make out her features, I could see a small package in her hand. It almost looks like…

"At least let me put these in your drawer?" As embarrassed as I was I couldn't stay angry. I just nodded. I couldn't speak as I felt I would say something a little harsh that she didn't deserve. I know she's only looking out for me. I turned and finally walked out of my bedroom with renewed energy. I just wanted to be as far away from that situation as I could possibly be. At the far end of the lounge, Annabeth was sitting on the couch trying not to laugh. I pointed an accusing finger at her.

"You knew? You knew! Gods you hung me out to dry Annabeth that's the most embarrassing thing I have ever had to talk about". Annabeth then broke out into full out laughter clutching her stomach. I had to laugh a little bit too.

"It was so worth it Seaweed Brain…ha! Gods the look on your face right now…can I take a picture". I stuck my finger up and she stuck her tongue out. I then jumped on top of her and started tickling her. She tried to fight me off but she had no chance in Hades of getting away.

"Ha…stop it…he…ha…stop it Seaweed Brain". I then put my arms on either side of her and lay on top of her. I bent forward and kissed her intently, letting my mind melt and my body mould into hers. Her arms traced my back from top to bottom, leaving tingles flowing down my spine at every point she touched. When I broke away eventually I noticed I was panting, completely out of breath. Annabeth was exactly the same, her eyes piercing into mine with longing. My throat ran dry and my head felt like it was underwater. I kissed her again but for a shorter time this time. I resurfaced and walked back towards my room and believe me that was a lot harder than it sounded. All I wanted to was to stay on the couch. Hopefully my mom wouldn't still be there.

"Back in a sec" I said and Annabeth blew a kiss as I walked back inside my room. Thankfully she was gone. I grabbed myself a shirt from the wardrobe and put on. It was a plain black t-shirt with a yellow and orange mark in the middle with Paramore written left to right, two letters at a time. They were one of my favourite bands. I changed out of my shorts and into some plain dark blue jeans. Now I was funny clothed I walked back out and greeted my girlfriend. She gave me a look-over.

"I preferred you before" she grinned. I blushed and looked to the floor. She stared at me intently. I was pretty sure she was going to say something when the phone rang. It went on for a few seconds before it stopped: I could hear my Moms voice coming from the kitchen.

"Yep he's here…hold on a sec. Percy!" I rushed out into the kitchen. She passed me the phone and spoke quietly "It's for you". I put it to my ear and said uncertainly "Hello?". A familiar voice rang on the receiver

"Hey it's Thalia, you doing anything today?" Thalia? I hadn't heard from her since the war ended.

"No…why?". I struggled to keep the note of surprise out of my voice and she didn't miss it either.

"No no don't worry its nothing bad" she laughed. I let myself relax. "Just wondering if you and Annabeth wanted to hang out today?". I hesitated. After what happened last time we "went out" I was a bit wary of putting Annabeth in danger again. It was too close the first time. Who am I kidding the first time? This has got to be the hundredth time. There is nowhere on earth safe for the two of us except maybe Camp Half Blood or Olympus.

"I assume Annabeth is there right?" Thalia added. I laughed. Of course Thalia would know Annabeth is here. Thalia loved to make fun of our relationship just to see how embarrassed we would get. It was all fun and games with her.

"Yes of course…" I rolled my eyes. I absent mindedly tapped my fingers on the phone for a few seconds, thinking as to whether I wanted to go. Finally I made up my mind.

"Yeah sure Thals…what you have in mind?". She was quiet for a second, obviously thinking on what to do. I could hear her breathing on the other end of the line.

"…We'll think of something" she said. I could sense a smile coming from Thalia even though I couldn't see it. I took a breath and took the phone slightly away from my ear so I could call to Annabeth.

"Annabeth?" I called. "You fancy doing something random today?". She poked her head round the wall.

"Yeah...?" she looked at me questioningly. I simply smiled and put the phone back to my ear.

"Ok when and where". I heard Thalia chuckle.

"15 minutes I'll come to you…see you soon" she clicked the phone off. I smiled at Annabeth who was still standing dumbfounded in the doorway. I finished what I was telling her when I was on the phone.

"Good get your coat we're going out". She smiled

"Where are we going Seaweed Brain?" she asked rolling her eyes.

"No idea…we'll find out when Thalia arrives". Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Thalia? Oh so that's who you were talking to." She walked away and got her coat off the rail; yet another item of her clothing that I had kept here in case she ever decided to stay round. My mom just thought she accidentally left it here once but really I had bought it myself for her. I never told her that in case she jibed me about it, I mean it's exactly Annabeths size. See where I'm going with this? Good. I'd hate for everyone to know that I'd spent nearly two hours in a cloths shop picked out items for my girlfriend so that if she ever wanted to come round on a whim she could without worrying about bringing lots of cloths.

"Of course Thalia! She'll be here in a few minutes so if you want to…" I left the hint hanging there as subtly as I could. Girls never like being called up on their appearance and right now her hair looked like a birds nest from where she had been lying on my chest overnight. She seemed to recognise my appraisement and her face went red. She nodded and walked briskly to the bathroom.

About ten minutes later she came out the bathroom and into my bedroom. After a few minutes she emerged wearing a plain white T-shirt. Typical Annabeth, she hates anything girly. She left on the jeans she was wearing last night. She went to the window next to the front door and looked out briefly. I could see the rays of light beaming into the room. It was very bright outside, and by the looks of it, quite hot aswell.

"Ok forget the coat" I said. I walked over to where Annabeth was standing beside the apartment window. The moment I stepped in front of the light I could feel the warms radiating against my skin. That moment I heard the doorbell ring. I was at the door in a flash, opening it as fast as I could. I was pumped up and excited, something I hadn't been in a long time. I undid the double bolt lock on the top of the door and swung it open. A familiar face greeted me from the other side.

"Someone's excited" she stated with a light grin. She took a step forward and gave me a friendly hug. I hadn't seen her since that day on Olympus and it was nice to be reunited with an old friend. Her hair was in its usual punk style and she was wearing a black T-shirt with a white logo on the left side of her chest. She was wearing black skinny jeans and had a bow slung over her shoulder. The logo on her shirt looked familiar…It almost looked like…

"Artemis is making T-shirts now? Going a bit over the top on the advertising campaign isn't she?" Thalia shrugged.

"Whatever Kelp head…ah Annabeth nice to see you!" she brushed past me to greet Annabeth.

They shared a warm embrace; the two girls were very close and had continued their friendship like me, after she had became a hunter. It was good to know that some things never changed. When they broke from their hug, I took Annabeths hand and walked down the steps. Thalia made a face and cringed.

"Can you lose the PDA I'm starting to feel sick" she complained. I just smiled and to prove my point, kissed Annabeth passionately on the landing. We broke away panting from lack of oxygen and when I saw the look of horror on Thalia's face I couldn't resist laughing. Annabeth joined in as well. Thalia simply rolled her eyes and walked in front of us, obviously reluctant to see any more. We followed behind.

"So" I called down. Even though she didn't stop I knew she could hear us. "Where to?". She shrugged.

"I don't know…isn't that the fun part?" she turned and smiled, still walking. I could see the direction of the stairwell was changing and knew that she couldn't see where she was going.

"Thalia watch where your-" I caught her wrist with my free arm just before she was about to walk into a wall. "Going" I finished. Annabeth sniggered. Not a good idea when the person your laughing at is the daughter to the king of the gods. Her eyes fired.

Annabeth suddenly shut up, recognising the warning in her expression. Thalia muttered under her breath almost inaudible, "thanks" and carried on walking as if nothing ever happened.

"Ok..." We walked in silence up until we got to the double doors that led to the parking area we fought in last night. You could see a hole where my sword had punched through the plating of the door. Where the hole was a tine pinprick of light punctured through, casting a small sphere of light onto the dark concrete floor of the room. Dark stains lined the floor in two places, the places where me and Annabeth stood after getting through. It brought back bad memories of the night before and I had to fight to shove them to the back of my mind. I was going to have fun today. Nothing was going to ruin it. Thalia noticed the damage and her body tensed.

"What happened here?" she spoke, shock in her voice. Her body had turned to stone. I don't mean the Medusa stare kind of stone I mean she was so still that she looked like one of those models at Madame Teusades in London. The only part of her body that moved was her eyes and they looked directly at me. Damnit I was hoping I wouldn't have to explain this.

"We ran into some…complications yesterday" I said. _Complications are one thing you could call it _I thought.

"What kind of complications" she said impatiently, finally moving again.

"The dangerous kind" Annabeth said. She stared at us for a few seconds, eyes darting between the two of us. I could see worry register in her face and I rushed my speech trying to play down the whole thing.

"Don't worry we're fine…" Still she didn't reply. When she finally opened her mouth again she spoke very clearly and very sternly.

"Spill I want to know everything." _God do I have to...all you're going to do is worry and tell us to talk to Chiron_ I thought. I rolled my eyes and me and Annabeth spoke at exactly the same time.

"Fine" we both said. I glanced sideways at Annabeth. She just shook her head.

"Don't look at me Seaweed Brain your telling this one" I huffed and turned back to Thalia.

So I told her about the night before and about how we were attacked. She stood there the entire time listening to my story, only cutting in once in a while to add a question and letting me go on. I told her about the chase home and also our narrow escape in the parking lot. The whole time she listened intently. When I finally finished she took a deep breath. She eyed us both carefully.

"Well you know what you need to do now don't you" she said.

"Yes talk to Chiron I know…" I said impatiently. I already knew this was coming and didn't really want to argue with her about it. We stood there for a few seconds. I was starting to feel uncomfortable. Annabeth lent the side of her head into my shoulder. To my surprise Thalia looked at me and smiled.

"This can wait for a few hours…Annabeth?" she said. Annabeth removed herself from my shoulder and stood upright. Thalia pushed open the double doors and Annabeth and I stepped out after her. The rays of the sun hit me as soon as I was out and I could already feel the fabric of my shirt warming up. I squinted my eyes. Almost no damage from the previous night was visible apart from a few dents in the tarmac. I breathed in the hot humid air and immediately felt I needed a drink. Gods it's hot.

"Yeah?" I could see from the look in the girl's eyes that they were planning something. I never pretend to understand the female mind and neither do I want to. It's a scary place.

"I think we should show Kelp head over here our little…project." Annabeths eyes widened and she made a cutting hand gesture across her neck which I took to mean _don't mention that shut up Thalia shut up!_. My ears were instantly switched on.

"Come on Annabeth its already complete there's no point in waiting."

"Waiting for what" I asked curiously.

"Nothing!" Annabeth rushed obviously not wanting to talk about it.

"Just forget she said anything…um-". I laughed and cut her off

"Don't think your getting off this easy Wise Girl". I teased.

"Spill" I said.

"No" she replied

"Spill" I repeated more force put into my voice.

"No!" she replied again a touch of amusement creeping into her voice.

"You'll find out in a few minutes" Thalia interjected. Annabeths scowled and nudged her in the shoulder.

"Please can we not do this?". Thalia laughed but said nothing. It was obvious by the look in Thalia's eyes that Annabeths argument was lost. I couldn't help but grin. Not many could best Annabeth in an argument. Gods know I have tried. Annabeth just huffed and looked down.

"Where to then Annabeth?" she sighed in resignation.

"The beach…we're going to the beach"


	6. My Big Surprise

**Hi guys. Well as you know I posted my 5th Chapter up today but I just kept on writing and...here it is another chapter. This Chapter is a little short I admit but there is a reason for it. As ussual please comment thanks guys I hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 6

We walked for about half an hour, talking and joking about. It felt good to have a day out without the war hanging over us. We were just being kids again, having fun hanging out together. Annabeth had been quiet at first but after a few minutes she started talking again. She obviously hadn't forgiven Thalia for letting me in on the big "secret". I couldn't see the problem but Annabeth was miffed about it. I just smiled as I walked with her. We talked about things normal kids would talk about; I completely switched off as soon as they started talking about cloths but they just saw my expression, laughed and changed the subject to something else. I felt peaceful with these two girls by my side and I like it. I hadn't really been "peaceful" for quite a while.

"So are you going to tell me what this 'big surprise' is yet?" I asked. I couldn't help a tad of excitement creeping into my voice. Whatever it was, for Annabeth to want to keep it a secret from me, it must be interesting. She rarely did 'boring'.

"No" they both said together. They gave me a smirk and looked away. We were walking along a long street with buildings about 200 metres high. The sun was coming up in the sky, and the shadows stretched along the road. Cars streamed down the road, mortals on their way to work.

"Don't worry Percy you'll find out soon…" Annabeth trailed off. I wanted to ask her more but she gave me a look that said _stop asking_ and I didn't press it.

As we neared the beach I could smell the sea air flowing down my nostrils. The cool breeze blew against my skin, reprieving me from the scorching heat. As the air made Annabeths hair float out behind her she looked beautiful. I would have said it there and then but I knew this wasn't the time to get sappy. I had plenty of time for that privately. Thalia looked at me in a funny way as she noticed my eyes on Annabeth. She didn't say anything but I was sure she guessed what I was thinking. She shook her head to herself looked back to the beach.

We crossed the road that lined the sand and made our way to the boating area, still sticking to the path next to the road. There were a long row of huts lining a warehouse on the sand. Thalia lead us, she obviously knew where she was going and jumped down from the path and onto the sand where the boats were. I noticed the grace in which she landed; her training as a hunter was obvious as her feet didn't make a sound once they connected with the sand below. Me and Annabeth followed and I could sense growing anticipation forming in my stomach. As we ducked in and out of the rows of beached yachts and huts, Thalia finally made her way to the side of the warehouse where there was a small wooden door. _What would Annabeth be doing in a seaside warehouse _I thought?

"Right this way" Thalia said in a mock hostess voice. She held her arm out and directed my and Annabeth inside. Annabeth paused and arched an eyebrow before she went in.

"Seriously?" she said.

"Oh let her have her fun" I joked. Thalia smiled at me and put her arm on her hip.

"Well come on then!" she said impatiently. I could sense she was really excited about whatever it was she wanted to show me so I quickly walked through the door before she could scold me any more.

When I walked in I could immediately smell the unmistakeable odour of petrol. I wrinkled my nose at the unpleasant smell. We emerged in the corner of the warehouse. The room was huge, a high metal ceiling lined with lights that hung down. The floor was a dirty concrete, the kind of floor you would find at home at a factory. Mixed amongst the smell of petrol was the smell of salt water and. On a bench beside me there were mechanical tools; spanners, wrenches and power tools like drills. There were also large machines I didn't recognise on the opposite side of the room in the middle. On my side of the room, beside the bench, was a long line of what I could see were boats, cars and unrecognisable contraptions and mechanisms with covers on. Not large boats but machines about the size of speed boats. Perhaps the most noticeable feature in the room was a very large vessel under a large dark blue cover sitting in the middle of the room. It was huge, the high ceiling, which I could assume was about 30 metres high, was barely containing it. Thalia sighed and walked up to what I thought was the front of the ship and leant on it. Annabeth nervously stood next to her. I stood in front of them, rooted to the spot, amazing by what I was seeing

"Annabeth wanted to wait till Christmas to give you this as a special present of something like that." Thalia said. Wait did I hear her right? She yanked the covers off to reveal a pure black motor yacht. Before I took a closer look, I let Thalia continue speaking. "But I think this is too cool to keep a secret for much longer, besides it's done. This" she gestured around the room, "is our Warehouse. Well Annabeths anyway. I come here from time to time but this is mainly Annabeths workshop". I looked at Annabeth in disbelief?

"This place is yours?" Annabeth nodded.

"Athena gave it to me. She wanted to provide me with a peaceful place where I can work on my Olympus designs. This place allows me to build scaled down prototypes and test designs…it's also had some…other functions." She blushed and looked down. Thalia cut in.

"Annabeth and I thought this would take a few months or more to finish but someone caught us." I saw Annabeth smile, "and when we explained what we were doing, asked if they could help. Word got around and pretty soon half of camp half blood pitched in." Annabeth smiled nervously at me. I was stunned. She had built a boat for me. She had built a bloody boat for me. Most people just buy their boyfriends a DVD or a nice T-shirt. Annabeth had built a boat for me. I laughed in amazement.

"Annabeth you really do surprise me sometimes. You built this?" she nodded. I walked slowly around the boat, taking in all its detail. The yacht was pure black except for a navy blue strip down the side with white lettering in the middle reading Starry Eyed; A fitting name for the boat as that's what I felt every time I looked into the eyes of its builder. On the prow of the vessel there was a statue of a hippocampus made out of pale blue stone. I strolled round to the starboard side and saw a ladder. I gestured towards it asking whether I can go up.

"Go ahead it's your ship". I smiled. Yes it was my ship I had my own boat. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I felt tears forming in my eyes in pride of this moment. I must have the best friends in the world. I climbed the steps quickly, in a hurry to see the rest of their work. I could hear she light taps of footsteps behind me and I knew that the girls were following me up. I hauled myself over the railing at the top and was awestruck. The deck was a dark brown, much like the colour of mahogany. There was a metal covering on the middle and I could tell by the way there was a small incline around the square that when operating, there would be a small swimming pool here. The dark theme was carried on deck; the doors and walls of the outside of the bridge were painted black. The top part of each railing held a small hippocampus statue and the bars were painted black and gold. I heard a small thump as my friends came aboard.

"This is…brilliant" I muttered. I looked at Annabeth and she beamed back. I could feel myself welling up and I almost stumbled over her to envelope her in my arms. I stood there with tears streaming down my face, taking in the citric sent of my girlfriends hair asking myself how did I ever deserve this. I broke away briefly and when I looked into her eyes I could see she was crying too.

"You like it?" she whispered, smiling weakly. _What? How could I not_ I thought. It was unthinkable that she would even have to ask this question.

"For a child of Athena you can be incredibly dumb sometimes" she laughed. "Of course I like it! This is the best present I could have asked for…now your going to have to worry about what to get be for Christmas" I laughed and she laughed with me. I took her head in my hands and kiss her hard. I vaguely remember hearing a voice behind me telling me to stop but I'm not sure…I wasn't exactly focussing on it. She broke away and we both turned to a smiling Thalia.

"I take it you approve" I nodded. She smiled triumphantly.

"Good…because now we are going to take it for a spin".


	7. Sailing

**I'm Really sorry this took so long to put out. To be honest I had terrible writers block and I had alot of stuff on my mind. Still I hope you like this as usuall review.**

**AN: I dont know anything about boats so if I have made a mistake please tell me and I will change it.**

**As One reviewer mentioned this chapter is very sappy but I plan to even it out with some action and gore soon enough lol**

Chapter 7

I stood on the deck letting the Sea Breeze caress my face. I was having a fun day. The first bit of fun I had experienced in a long while. Seagulls were flying overhead and the smell of salt poured into my lungs. Behind the stern I could see the faint outline of land, where we had just come from. Being a son of Poseidon I could just tell that we were 2 miles off the coast travelling at 25 knots. I was told it could go faster but why would I want to? This was relaxing and gentle. We took 20 minute turns steering the yacht. Me first (the girls insisted I didn't complain because I was just so damned excited), the Annabeth then Thalia then back to me again. At the moment it was Annabeth steering and I sat on the deck leaning against a rail looking out to the open Atlantic. I could hear the steady crashing of waves against the bow of the ship and a small amount of spray from the water was dampening my skin. To the right of me Thalia was standing with a very green look on her face. I had to keep from laughing; a daughter of Zeus that's scared if flying and gets seasick.

"You want to go lay down look awful" I asked. Thalia just shook her head.

"I'm fine" she muttered. I fought to keep the grin forming on my mouth from coming. She hung her arms over the side of the boat and put her head in her arms. I gave her a friendly pat on the back and walked to the bridge. The doors were already open so that the cool air from the outside could drift in and keep the area cool.

Let me explain the bridge for you. You probably think that the bridge is a typical bridge that you would find on a boat with a wheel in the middle to control direction and a bunch of levers and buttons that control other stuff right? Wrong. Annabeth had totally personalised this bridge space. The walls were lined with computers and ever single part of the room had attention to detail. The walls were painted in a black matted finish like the rest of the ship. Instead of the usual array of buttons you would be familiar with on a motor yacht, there were four keyboards lined up against each other. Sitting behind then was Annabeth, on what looked at first glance like a black office chair but what I knew to be a Virtual reality control centre. The chair was wired up to the computers and Annabeths hands were resting on a small circular sphere sitting on a flat panel in between two of the keyboards. On each of the eight screens above the main controls, were camera views from different parts of the ship. On another four screens just below them were views inside the ships various rooms. There was no screen for a map, because we didn't need one; I was the map. I walked up behind Annabeth slowly, careful not to frighten her. Normally this wouldn't bother me, in fact I would jump at the chance to scare the pants off her, but Id rather not risk it when there is a chance she could accidentally over steer and sink the yacht.

I crept beside her and lay my hand on her shoulder. She raised her head and turned to face me. She was wearing goggles much like what you would see at a virtual reality exhibition and her body was strapped to the seat with a series of wires and gears. She was steering using her mind and the sphere in which her hand rest was the control panel in which all ship information could be accessed. Call it a very complicated computer mouse. I had never seen anything like it before today. Annabeth was a genius. In the corner of the room was another section of computers and there was a sign above them that read "Use only in Emergencies". I had asked Both Annabeth and Thalia about it but they wouldn't tell me anything except "Don't touch".

"Hi Seaweed Brain..." she looked tired. I wasn't surprised the sea air can do that too you.

"Hey" I said. "Does this boat have an autopilot system? Then we could all sit on deck together". I saw Annabeths hand move across the control sphere. She was silent for a few seconds and I was about to repeat my question thinking hadn't heard me. She suddenly got up and removed the goggles from her face.

"Done" she said. She placed the goggles on the arm of the seat and walked over to me with a weary smile. She used her left hand to brush away a stray length of hair that was covering her face.

"How's Thals?" she smiled. I laughed.

"Err…" I stuttered mockingly. Annabeth nudged me in the ribs with her elbow.

"What?...who knew anyone could be that sea sick". Annabeth nudged me again playfully.

"Don't be mean Percy" she quipped. I smiled. It was good to just be alone in the sea with my friends, to just get away from life and have a day where I can just "be" without any fears or any problems. I strolled outside back to the front deck, Annabeth walking beside me. As I walked through the doors I breathed in a deep breath. No matter how many times I smelt the sea air all I wanted to do was take another deep breath…and another…and another. It was a wonder to be why more people don't sail. Then again maybe that would reduce the joy in it. Maybe part of the experience was the thrill of isolation; nothing around you but the enormous power of the open ocean. Thalia was still slumped over the rails with her arms hanging down, looking so green that she would put sea weed to shame. She stole a glance towards the two of us then looked back over the rail. I briskly walked towards a small cube like box that was protruding from the deck on the port side of the front deck. I tapped the two front corners twice and the lid popped open. Inside was a simple microphone like the ones used to do voice-overs at airports and a few LCD screens. I spoke clearly into the mic.

"Activate sound system".

Annabeth and Thalia showed me this almost as soon as we set sail. They had copied all of my CD collection onto an extra large HD designed by Annabeth and downloaded much more music based on the type of music I owned. I pretty much had a portable disco. As I spoke, speakers sprouted from the floor on the corners of the deck. A few slid from behind wall panels and arranged themselves in a rough horse shoe shape around the deck.

"Activate strobes" I whispered. Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

"Like your new toy?" she said as lights started sprouting from the sides of the speakers.

"Yeah" I answered then put the mic to my lips again.

"Play You me at six album – Take off your colours". The sound of "The Truth is a terrible thing" started to breath out of the numerous speakers. I turned a dial underneath the left screen and the music got slightly louder. While I was doing this, a multitude of light colours sprayed over the deck. The sun was near to setting on the horizon and so far the day had been a blast. I had iris messaged my mom earlier in the day so I could stay out here overnight without worrying her. I knew I wouldn't want to go back anytime soon. I stood on the bow with my arm around Annabeth waist watching the sun going down. Annabeths dark blue cardigan blew out slightly behind her in the breeze; she had a few warm cloths on the boat from when she had been on it late at night building and making adjustments. I marvelled at the fact that no matter where she was she always seemed to have spare cloths ready. I smiled in amusement to myself.

"What?" she asked. Damn it she caught me in thought.

"Nothing" I said quietly. She just kept her eyes focussed on the horizon. Annabeth and I sang along gently to the lyrics of "Always Attract". Thalia had somehow disappeared into the sleeping cabins while we were having our moment together. We stood there mouthing the lyrics together. The moon was starting to emerge in the sky now the sun was on its way down. A few stars were visible in the sky. The sunlight gradually vanished and the sky was alight in all its ethereal brilliance. The full moon shone and the sea was shining with a silver hue as if the water was glowing. I felt Annabeths hands linking in my own. When I turned my body towards her, the moonlight in its brilliance enhanced her already beautiful features, making her skin turn almost white. Her grey eyes appeared to change into light silver and her teeth shone a dazzling smile. I lifted my other hand to her face, gently stroking her cheek. We hadn't talked for over an hour, but we didn't need to. What we wanted to say was written all over our face. I leant in to kiss her soft lips, leaning my body into her. Before our lips met I felt her body shiver in my arms and what I thought was a tear escape her eye. We kissed passionately, letting our hands roam, not worrying about being caught together. I could feel one of her hands lightly tracing the spine of my back underneath my shirt and it sent a shiver down my spine. A small moan of pleasure escaped my lips. I would have felt embarrassed at myself except Annabeth just smiled and carried on. We were finally alone with each other properly. No distractions. I could feel the rhythm of our kissing speed up and I felt my body respond. I leant in slightly more but I felt Annabeth break away and put her hand on my chest. I could hear her breathing heavily and her face was red. I could see her eyes wide and her hair was ruffled.

"I think we should stop now." She said softly, almost like she didn't truly believe the words that were coming out of her own mouth. She glanced nervously side to side.

"Why" I said nervously. Didn't she enjoy it? I was sure I did but this was Annabeth. I was also thinking that maybe she didn't love me like I thought she did. I immediately shoved that thought out my mind. Anyone who had been around the two of us the last few weeks would notice how we felt about each other.

"I just…think" I could see her cheeks starting to redden.

"Think…well we've been doing so well together and…don't want to…do anything that may…ruin it." I didn't understand. What was she getting at?

"What could possibly ruin…us?" I said unsurely. It was unlike Annabeth to talk about our relationship. She usually likes to bury her feelings deep within herself, like me. It was our collective stubbornness that almost stopped us front getting together in the first place. She took a deep breath.

"You know…" her voice trailed off and she waved her hands in a "isn't it obvious" gesture. I smiled, trying to appear confident.

"Not really" I laughed nervously.

"Well…" Then it hit me. Gods I could be so ignorant of things sometimes.

"Oh" I said eyes wide. I shifted my body uncomfortably. This was not a place I wanted conversation to be. We stood there still for a few minutes, neither of us knowing what to say next.

After a while Annabeth broke the silence.

"You remember when you blew up Mount St. Helens?" I nodded slowly. I could see her lip starting to quiver. It was unlike Annabeth to cry and I took her hand in reassurance. Whatever she was going to say, it was hard for her to do. She continued." I watched as the mountain exploded into thousands of pieces. I…I thought you were dead. When I got back to camp I had to tell Chiron that…that you fell behind. I couldn't bring myself to think you we gone. I sat in my cabin for days just crying…I could barely get myself out of bed each morning…I never realised how much you meant to me until the moment I believed you dead…" she stopped for a moment blinking back tears. I squeezed her hand a little harder. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and continued.

"I looked out over the lake at night wondering if you would ever return, wishing for you to appear. I had all but given up hope when you came back…when you came back that night…it was like I had been given a second chance." She had to stop again to collect herself. I wrapped my arms around her and whispered gently in her ear.

"Its ok…it's ok." I had known she was broken when I was gone but it one thing to know and another to have her say it to me. It made me feel sick that she had gone through all that. Her whole body was shaking and tears were freely flowing from her eyes. She sobbed silently into my shoulder. I hated seeing her like this, so vulnerable. It reminded me that she was still healing. We all were in a way. No-one who has seen as much death and misery as us half bloods can say they are completely unaffected war and the dark cloud that follows it. After a few short minutes she backed away and I could see tear lines etched onto her cheeks. Her eyes were red and puffy and I could hear her breathing was unsteady. I walked towards her to comfort her again but she shook me off.

"No I'm fine." She whispered. She gave a shaky laugh.

"Gods If I'd have known you would have this effect on me…" she trailed off smiling. I smiled back and walked over towards the sound system and told it to play The Scientist by Coldplay. She looked at my quizzically when I done this. I just shrugged and took her by the wrist, pulling her to the middle of the deck.

"Hey what are you doing Seaweed Brain!". I wrapped my arms around her and started swaying to the music. I hated dancing to be perfectly honest but this wasn't for my benefit. Annabeth raised her eyebrow as if she read my predicament.

"You don't dance" she said flatly.

"I do now". She gave me that dazzling smile and playfully pushed me.

"No, you don't" she said with finality that simply said _"stop arguing, I win"._

I just shrugged and kept my arms around her. She just laughed and played along. We swayed together on the deck for what seemed like forever, occasionally whispering song lyrics into each others ears. The whole time my eyes never left hers, the grey-silver gleam in them encapsulating me with every glance I take at them. Even if I wanted to I couldn't look away. It was impossible. After a while I could see light beginning to form in the horizon. By this point we realised we weren't going to sleep so we brought a couple of deck chairs out and sat down together. After a long silence Annabeth finally spoke.

"You know…today hasn't been quite so bad has it?" I sighed as I reminisced last night's activities.

"Yeah…it's been great." I whispered back.

I watched the horizon; every few minutes a star would vanish behind an oncoming orange haze that was the sunrise. The sun had not yet surfaced from the waterline but I could sense that it would soon. Seagulls were coming out for the morning hunt and the air was getting warmer. In the far distance I noticed a barge slowly cutting through the waves; obviously carrying cargo from somewhere that I didn't care about. I just sat there with my girlfriend; watching the sun emerge from the waterline, dawn finally arriving. As the light rose in the sky, the orange glow illuminated the water, reflecting a line that emphasised every small movement of water. There were no clouds in the sky. It was beautiful. After a while gazing I realised that Annabeth had fallen asleep, her head resting on my chest and her eyes closed. She looked so peaceful. The morning light made her hair appear to be on fire. I closed my eyes, taking in the warmth of Annabeths body heat. I counted each heartbeat, content in just laying on deck chair. Sometime I fell asleep.

_I was having a wonderful dream. Annabeth and I were on a beach. Annabeth was wearing a pale blue bikini and I was in green Speedos. We were chasing each other playfully on the sand. Annabeth had thrown a sand ball at me and I was determined to get her back. She quicker but I had more stamina. Sooner or later she would run out of steam. We both laughed as we ran. Completely care free and in the moment. Annabeth was beginning to slow and I gained ground. When I was within a few feet from her I flung myself at her._

"_Ow…ha…getoff!" she yelled in between laughs. I had pinned her on her back and was ticking her. She was writhing with laughter on the sandy floor._

"_Percy…Percy!". She kept yelling. Her voice was getting more serious._

"_Percy! Come on!" This time with she said it with even more urgency. I could hear the faint sound of banging._

_An awful cry filled my eyes. What was that. Annabeth simply kept shouting my name with more vigour_

…_wait a sec that's not Annabeths voice? "PERCY!"_

My eyes snapped open. Thalia stood over me with serious eyes. Aegis was held aloft in her arm.

"Finally!" she said, panting with exertion.

"We are under attack!"

**Bet Your itching for the battle now I can feel it. Haha stay tuned :)**

**Notice the song references I put in there :) All of them are decent songs look em up lol.**


	8. Water Hazards

**I sincerly appologise for the ridiculous length of time it took to upload this chapter it was murder to write and even then it didnt finish out perfect. I got writers block. Not my best here but I hope you enjoy. If you get the chance have a look at my other story aswell I have put alot of work into that and would really appreciate the reviews.**

Chapter 8

I shook my head from side to clear away the blurry vision people always get when they just wake up. My muscles tensed and my body snapped upright with instinctive sharpness. I found that Riptide was gripped in my hand. I must have got it out of my pocket as I snapped awake. Years of battle had made everything second nature to me. My eyes scanned the water for danger. The waves were a little higher than normal but nothing was really amiss; when I was primed for battle water seemed to react around me anyway. Once I was pretty sure that the danger wasn't water bound I let my eyes drift towards the sky, the only other option.

The figures were moving so fast I could barely make out their shape. They appeared to look like pterodactyls but their faces were terrifying. They reminded me of the furies in Hades realm. I held my sword tightly. A black shape fell out the sky and dived at my body, jaws snapping at me. He came at me so fast all I could do was dive to the side. As I rolled another winged attacked dived towards me. My arm tensed and moved in a swinging motion while I was still rolling and caught its wing. The breath was knocked out my body and I was panting as I jumped back to my feet. To my left and right Annabeth and Thalia were getting dive bombed by the winged attackers. I had never seen anything like it. These "birds" if I can call them that were diving at then at what looked like 60 miles an hour or more. And there were LOTS of them. I barely had time to think as another of the creatures fly at me. I swung my sword blindly, cutting its head off on a shower of dust as it exploded but not before the rest of its body crashed into me.

"Percy no!" I heard Annabeths voice gasp as I was thrown backwards and was nearly sent over the rails. What happened next I could never explain. As I was propelled over the rails of the boat, I used me free arm to grab the rail as I fell and bent my knees as my body approached the bow. Before I slammed into the front of the ship I used my own momentum to springboard myself back over the rail, doing a summersault in midair and landing on my feet on the middle of the deck, using both my arms to keep myself balanced. Within seconds my arms were back into defensive stance and the battle raged on. It too a few seconds for my mind to register what I had just done.

"What the…?" I muttered under my breath. I quickly ducked as I was attacked again and tried to find Annabeth. Things were happened so fast I could barely pause to breath as I darted from side to side, ducking and dodging the constant barrage of attacks. I could feel blood dripping from my side but I just ignored it and kept running. Annabeth was only ten yards away but it felt like ten miles. There was a graze on the side of her face and she had a would in her sword arm. She had her knife out but it was of little use. The attacks were just coming in too fast.

Thalia was close to her with her hunters bow, letting loose arrow after arrow. Almost every shot she fired hit home a target but there were just too many it was like trying to fire a gun into a swarm of bees. No matter how many were killed there were always more to take its place. I had to think fast or we were going to get shredded. I was getting into a steady rhythm of sidestepping and swinging my sword and my arms were acting on their own accord. I didn't need to tell myself what to do. My body knew EXACTLY what I needed to do. Pretty soon I was standing next to Thalia, deep in concentration. _I need to even up these odds_ I thought. I stood in a defensive stance, holding my blade in front of me, legs bent and braced for any sudden movement I needed to make. I heard a piecing cry come from the mouth of one of the pterodactyl creatures and appeared to echo on the waves.

_The waves_. How could I be so stupid?

I'm a son of Poseidon and the fact I was on a _boat_ that was floating in _water _didn't occur to me. I glanced to my side quickly, knowing that I had to keep alert. She had a large gash on her stomach and blood was seeping out. Her cloths were torn and her hair was dishevelled; curls tangled. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she used her Athena sharp mind to calculate exactly when to swing her knife. 9 times out of 10 she hit the target. It was the 1 out of 10 I was worried about. Standing just a yard to my right Thalia was still shorting but I could see the frustration no her face as no matter how many shots she made, more kept coming. It was like a swarm of locusts. Dust and blood covered the deck. I noticed another attacker diving towards Annabeths blind side. Rather than intercept the attack with my sword I simply thrust my arm up, feeling the familiar feel in my gut I attained every time I used my half blood power, and a column of water blasted out the sea. The spiralling cylinder of water stretched out like an arm and struck the creature midflight but rather than just push it back, I told the water to grab it and dragged it underwater

The sea water pushed the monster to the other side of the ship where apparently was a pointy end, because the next moment the creature dissolved into golden dust. Annabeth turned around and stared at the water column in front of her eyes, the one that had probably saved her life just moments before. She looked at me with amazement while I still had my hand extended towards her. I was so surprised by my actions that I couldn't move for a split second; I Just kept my eyes locked to Annabeth's. Then her eyes widened and she pointed behind me.

"Percy, watch out!" she screamed in terror and another blast of water rose from the sea's surface protecting me from the incoming attack. A shield out of my element formed between me and my attacker. The bird-like monster kept poking at the water confused, but so was I. It may not have seemed so solid, but not even Riptide could smash through it.

"Seaweed Brain, how are you doing that?" Thalia yelled from the right. How was I doing that?

"I have no idea!" I yelled back.

"Whatever you're doing, keep it up!" She said and struck the monster behind the shield with one of her arrows. I didn't need her to tell me that. But how was I supposed to keep up something I didn't even know how I was doing?

Without dueling on it further, I tried to make the water splash away the monsters which kept attacking the hunters but I couldn't do it. The water just wouldn't do what I wanted. I kept trying while also getting attacked by other monsters, but in vain. Then one of the pterodactyls dove in on the huntress getting to one of them. The huntress yelped in pain as blood ran down her back from the injury, but she still kept fighting. I got so freaking angry at that incident and felt the familiar tingling in the pit of my stomach exactly like before I somehow raised that water column from the sea.

Next thing I know, all monsters on deck are pushed away from it. Some end up dissolving, some in the water. Then instead of them coming back up, they swam towards the beach. Our forces limped and staggered towards the side of the ship only to watch our enemies retreat by water and air to the shore. Annabeth and Thalia came to stand on either side of me keeping their eyes locked on the withdrawal of the enemy forces. A little water was all it took to make them back off? I looked around in confusing.

The ship seemed to be drawing its power from the sea, water trickling upwards over the rails and the decking, patching up the cracks like it would my skin when I get hurt. Within minutes the entire ship was as pristine as it had been when it left port. Annabeth shifted uneasily and looked me dead in the eye.

"Percy...why are you eyes glowing" she breathed, her voice riddled with shock.

"What?"

"Your eyes Percy! They are glowing bright green!" Thalia cried open mouthed. I was about to say something witty back, something saying how stupid they are acting but right then I noticed water trickling up Annabeths leg. Some small part of myself must have knew no harm was going to be cause because I felt relaxed and content. As I watched the water crept into her cuts and bruises and healed her, as they would me. Annabeth inspected her arms and torso. Thalia did the same then turned on me, her eyes intent.

"Percy how the hell are you doing this...not that Im complaining but-"

"This is beyond anything I have seen a demigod do...and we have seen some strange things."

"Agreed" Thalia nodded. They both obviously wanted answers from me. Answers that I obviously didn't have.

"I dont know! Its just...happening. When I want something to happen my body seems to just... react. I cant tell you _how _Im doing it." Thalia didn't seem convinced but didn't push further. Annabeth walked gently into my arms and gave me a short hug. I could smell saltwater in her hair where the water had healed a cut on her head

"Guess I owe you again Seaweed brain" she teased.

"I think we owe each other...what in Hades was that?" I asked my girlfriend. She always had the answers. Usually annoying but in this case I wasn't going to complain.

"I honestly dont know. They are like nothing I have ever seen". Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Well this is weird." Thalia said in an irritated voice.

"Well one things for certain" Annabeth said in a worried voice. "We are not safe _anywhere._"

"No" I said. "It appears not". Annabeth stamped her foot on the deck in frustration. I resisted the urge to laugh. She looked so sweet when she was angry but I knew if I said anything she would chew my head off so I just pursed my lips.

"All I want is one summer…one, fucking summer" she shouted to no-one in particular. Thalia leant against the rail and look out to sea. The fight seemed to have made her forget her seasickness. When she turned back towards me I could see concealed weariness in her eyes; the war had taken so much out of all of us we just wanted a break. Obviously that wasn't going to happen. Annabeth rested herself on my shoulder wrapping her arms around my waist. I could feel her leaning into me; she was exhausted. I felt wide awake sharp. I was beginning to wonder why I wasn't fatigued but then I realised that this was the sea. My born element. For a few minutes we just stood there in silence. Thalia ran her fingers across the side rail, sparks flowing from her hand onto the bare metal. Annabeth stood in silence leaning against my body; it was so quiet I could hear every breath coming out of her mouth, every heartbeat in her chest. I could also hear the crashing of waves around the ship, the gentle rhythm of the wave breaking against the hull.

"We need to get to camp" Thalia finally said quietly. She spoke the words almost if she were at a funeral. Annabeth disentangled herself from me and nodded gravely in her direction, obvious sadness in her expression. None of us needed this but next time we are attacked it could be in a more populated area. Annabeth flicked a few strands of hair that were flailing in her face away then turned to me.

"First we need to go to yours". I arched an eyebrow.

"Erm…why?" I said confused. All the equipment I needed was already at camp half blood.

"Firstly, my Dedaelus computer is there and secondly, I need to talk to you…alone" she said in a way that left no room for argument. The boat started to turn port side and did so until it was facing the way we came. I commanded to boat to take us back to the port. _Wait I commanded the boat? My power is only over the sea around it...but why?...What's happening to me?_ I don't have time to think about that now. Lets just focus on getting my friends and I home in one piece.

**I credit Catherine P for helping with the action sequence...that was where I had the dreaded block and she gave me some good imput...check out her stories. They are extremely good.**


	9. Walking Home

**I hope you guys like this chapter. For some reason it only took me 3 hours to write I was in an "in the zone" mood lol. As ussual reviews welcome lol**

Chapter 9

The journey back was pretty uneventul. The sun steadily kept on rising, the water gently reflecting the orange sunrise back into my eyes. We hardly said a word to each other. Thalia kept her eyes securely on the horizon looking for threats. When I tried to make conversation she just gave me short answers indicating that she didn't wish to talk. I sensed her stealing glances my way when she thought I wasn't looking. Annabeth was leaning on the bridge door playing with her knife. Her eyes showed deep concentration. She kept looking at me but not in the way that made me feel comfortable, her expression worried and concerned. I wanted to get up and comfort her and tell her nothing was wrong but I couldn't. Not only because it was a lie but because I was steering the ship.

I had a lot to ponder as I steered the ship to the coast. What was on my mind most was the battle incident. Was I really that powerful. I had erected a wall of water more impenetrable than a wall of steal without even realizing what I was doing. It took no energy out of me at all to do and I managed to transfer my powers to Annabeth and Thalia. That was weird. Perhaps the weirdest thing was the glowing eyes that Thalia mentioned...whoa. I didn't know what was happening to me but it was scary. I hoped Chiron had the answers. I sighed looked out the window. We were nearly there; the beach was dominating the view. I swung opened the door and sighed. I didn't need to steer for a few minutes it was a straight line and I could manipulate the water if I had to. Annabeth came to me and layed her hand on my shoulder. As we looked into each others eyes it was clear we were both thinking the same thing. Why us? Why is it we can never have enough time to do normal human things before danger ensues? Being a half blood was both a blessing and a curse. I kissed her forehead and touched her cheek before walking away towards Thalia.

"You ok?" I asked tentatively. She had barely said a word the whole journey back. When she turned to reply I noticed a stray tear leak from the corner of one of her eyes. She stayed silent for a few seconds, blinking a few times, hoping I wouldnt notice her tears. She hated showing any sign of weakness and would kill me if I mentioned it so I just gave her time.

"Dont worry about me" she said finally. "I just wish danger would stop following us...you deserve better than this" she looked down at the floor. "We all do". She walked away sadly and went below deck. As land started to get closer I started to ready the boat for departure. Annabeth slipped her knife back in her pocked and stood silently next to me as I lowered the steps on the quay. I got off with my friends and used the water to move the boat gently towards the warehouse, any onlooker would think its just floating there naturally. When I was sure it was out of site I commanded the water to keep it there as we made our way to the warehouse. Once there Thalia used her command of the air to lift the boat up and through the warehouse doors and lay it where it began earlier in the day. We had not spoke the whole time.

We each took a seat at a table the we had erected when we got off the boat. Finally Annabeth broke her silence.

"So what do you think that was?" she asked no-one in particular.

"I dont know your spose to be the wise girl" I snapped. She gave me evils then slapped me hard in the face.

"What was that for!" I yelled

"For being a Seaweed Brain" she coolly replied. "Are you not a little bit worried that we are still being attacked?"

"We're demigods...I just figured it was an occupational hazard." I replied rubbing my temples. Gods she can hit hard.

"Yes it is Percy" Thalia interjected. "But that was organized...not just some random attack...and those birds...I havnt seen anything like it. They are no creature I've ever heard of. Annabeth?" she took a sideways glance at her. Annabeth uncomfortably shifted her feet. She was used to people coming to her with questions. She wasn't used to not having the answer to them.

"I have no idea what they are...they looked like the furies but there are only three furies and these were smaller and unintelligent...just very dangerous. As I said earlier I think we should consult Charon. Im going to go back with Percy to some...things" she hesitated at the last word. Obviously there was more to it than she was letting on. She continued briskly. "Where shall we meet after wards?" she asked Thalia. Thalia kept her head low, still trying to hide the upset that was obvious within her.

"Meet back here. I have some errands to run while your gone anyway. Maybe the hunters could help figure out who attacked us. Go! Ill be here when you return." she gestured with her hand and me and Annabeth quickly got up and left out the main door. She took my hand and increased her pace to the main road following the beach, almost dragging me along.

"Why the hurry?" I timidly asked. It took all the effort I had to keep up without jogging.

"When we were fighting your eyes glowed green...don't try and deny it we both saw it" she added before I could interject.

"Yeah so?" I asked. She hit me again

"Ow!" I complained but she just stopped walking and looked at me angrily.

"So? Are not the least bit curious why?" she asked agitatedly. I could tell she was losing her patience and I didnt want to be hit again so I just went with it.

"Yeah I suppose but...wait you have a theory don't you". She casually removed her guaze from me and kept on walking. I could see a smirk forming in her features as she walked in front of me.

"Annabeth?" I asked in a joke scolding tone. I had to keep myself from laughing.

"What?" she said innocently glancing round briefly with a blank expression. I could see the effort it was taking for her to keep a calm face." I ran over to her and put my arms around her waist. Tickling her, she started laughing.

"Get off Seaweed brain...ha...Percy...stop it..." she fell into uncontrolled giggles as I wouldnt let go. She tried to get away but I kept my arms locked and she fell into me on the floor.

"I win" she said still laughing on top of me. I could feel her lemon scented hair touching my face, her face barely a few inches from mine. For a few seconds I couldn't speak and she just laughed. I used this opportunity to roll over on top of her, hearing her yelp in suprise as I did so.

"You were saying?"said cockily. She lifted her hand and touched my cheek smiling.

"You do realize we are on a public pavement and there are people looking right?" she said teasingly.

I instantly shot up in realization. She just giggled as I offered a hand so she could get up. As she took it I could almost feel my cheeks redden in embarrassment as I noticed bystanders staring at us. I could see a small group of teenagers laughing with their friends, occasionally looking in our direction.

"Don't worry about them" she said while taking my hand again. As I looked at them I felt my blood boil.

"Percy!" she shouted in my ear. I immediately looked at her and tried to imitate the same innocent reply Annabeth had managed a few minutes earlier.

"Yes?". She slapped my playfully around the head and then laughed.

"I said don't worry about them...gods your so dense sometimes" she smirked at me and we carried on walking home. The shadows were facing the other way now, indicating that it was getting on in the day. I could only imagine the reception I would get when I got home. _Percy I was so worried, Percy why didnt you call. _The one thing that for once I could avoid was _Percy look at the state of you. _The only part of my body that was ruined was my cloths and I had changed them since I got back. I walked her with Annabeth almost in silence, occasionally glancing at each other, enjoying each others company. I tried to think of what my life would have been like if I had never met Annabeth. I found it hard. We were destined to either love or hate each other from the beginning and in the end I was glad that fate chose the latter. We were perfect opposites. Seemed corny to think like that but it was true. I hoped this would last forever but in my heart knew that for a demigod things were never that simple. Forever could mean 5 minutes...it could mean a lifetime...it could even mean forever in the literal sence...forever unchanging. But one thing was for certain; danger was always just around the corner, death always waiting with open arms. It scared me just to think it. Not because I was scared of death no...I wasn't scared of death. I was scared of losing HER. I shoved that thought out of my mind as I neared the apartment complex that was my home.

"So what is your theory on the weird eyes and the strange superpowers" I asked her as we walked up the stairs inside the building. I could hear the footsteps echoing throughout the building. It made me feel uncomfortable but I suppose that's just what being a demigod does. It makes you paranoid.

"Oh...Ill let you know after you talk to Chiron. I expect him only to confirm what I already think."

"Oh I get it" I said smiling. "You don't want to be wrong so your letting Chiron make his opinion first and if it fits you'll agree with it...because your never wrong". With the last statement she smiled and looked to the floor.

"Exactly" she replied. We were at my moms door finally. Annabeth gave me an amused look and gestured towards the door.

"Your getting this one" she smiled. "I'm not getting the blame for this"

"Coward" I muttered under my breath.

"Hey its your mom" Annabeth cried indignantly.

"Ok ok! shh!".

I slowly knocked on the front door, each knock seeming louder than it normally does. I felt my heart beat faster in dread of her answering the door. I almost jumped when I heard the locks on the door disengage and the door creek open.

"Yes?" I heard my mothers voice say from the other side of the door.

"Its me mom" I replied shyly. The door immediately flung open.

"Percy Jackson have you never heard of a phone!" she yelled at me in the usual tirade. That's her way of saying welcome home. Then she noticed Annabeth standing beside me. My mom relaxed and gave me a knowing stare.

"Whats happened" she said blankly. It was the kind of question that you knew not to answer. She didn't want to know the answer.

"Mrs Jackson...we need to get Percy's things and _leave. _Things have gotten...complicated". She gave me a sideways glance and stepped inside as my Mom gestured for us to come in.

"Don't they always" I heard her mutter. "Don't they always"

**Did you like it? Hope ya'll did this was fun to write so :) revieeewww lol**


	10. Getting to camp

**Sorry for my absence for those to have had the patience to wait here is another chapter I hope you enjoy sorry if there are a few mistakes. For those waiting for a new chapter to my other story do not despair I am working on it as we speak and you shall have a new chapter within a week or so :)**

**Its already half done I just have a few plot problems to iron out...anyways enjoy**

Chapter 10

I sat there quietly on my bed watching Annabeth gather our things… just watching her. We didn't barely spoke a word since we got in. Annabeth had briefly iris messaged Chiron to let him know we were on our way to camp but other than that she just packed silently while I looked on. I was worried. The war had only just ended and a _new _threat just suddenly decides to surface and now we must deal with_ that_ rather than enjoy being a teenager. Demigod life just isn't fair sometimes. As much as I tried to shove that petulant thought out of my mind I just couldn't. Annabeth and I had barely escaped the last war with our lives and now we are being thrown into a new battle.

_Whoa! _I thought. _Let's not get ahead of ourselves_. I've not even spoken to Chiron yet but my get was telling me things I didn't want to hear. And ignoring your gut when you're a demigod is a stupid thing to do. I just wanted to live out my life with Annabeth. Sure we were just teenagers but I had a feeling that this was going to last. We had gone through too much together not to. I was suddenly a little bit overcome with the knowledge that no matter what happened in our lives, we would always be fighting, always be in danger in some way or another and it scared me. I was so lost in my own thoughts I barely noticed when she sat down next to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"You ok?" she whispered in my ear with real concern.

"Sure" I said flatly with no real conviction. She patted me on the shoulder, not saying anything but knowing she didn't need to. Just being there was enough. She picked up the pack she made for me off the floor and handed it to me.

"We will be fine". Annabeth assured me, misreading my anxiety.

"Its not just that" I replied. I could feel my stomach knotting. "I'm just tired of all this running. When we think we have one problem sorted all we get is a bigger problem thrown at us. It's almost like fate is playing games with us. I just…I don't want to win a war only to ". I exhaled slowly trying to regain my composure but it sounded more like a huff. Annabeth just stood infront of me, compassion filling her eyes. "Only to be thrown into another one"

"We're the 'Heroes of Olympus' Percy its not like we can stop being who we are" she said softly. "I know how you feel…I feel it myself but that's how it is it's our duty."

"Screw duty Annabeth" I spat out perhaps more harshly than I meant it. "Everytime we go into battle I go in knowing that at any moment I could lose you. I just…" I could feel tears stinging my eyes. I tried to look away, not wanting her to see me in this state but I couldn't take my eyes away. Annabeth took slow deliberate steps towards me. I could see the concern etched onto her face as she rested her hand on my chest, drawing closer until she was within kissing distance.

"Listen here Percy" she whispered in a fierce tone, "you will never _ever_ lose me. No empousai, hellhound, Cyclops, Hydra god or creature of any kind is going to break us apart so quit your worrying and pull yourself together. We. Are. Going. To. Be. FINE. And if anyone so much as comes within a foot of your archilles heel I am going to cut their head off and send it to their family as a Christmas present do you understand?". I nodded, the determination in her voice filling me with hope. Maybe things will turn out after all. "I said DO YOU UNDERSTAND!" she almost shouted at me, still whispering.

"I guess so" I said in a resigned voice.

"Good" she said in her normal voice. She then leant into me and kissed me on the lips before I flung my backpack over my shoulder. She took my hand before I could say any more and lead me into the living room. My mom stood at the doorway with the same concerned look on her face she had been sporting when she first answered the front door.

"You two ready?" We both nodded.

"Be careful…Annabeth take good care of him." I shifted on my feet. _Gods why did she have to be so embarrassing_? Annabeth smiled to herself and gave me an amused look.

"Don't worry Sally I will. Percy will message you when we get to camp…anyway we really have to go now or you won't be safe". My mother nodded and answered the door. I couldn't be totally sure but I swear out of the corner of my eye she mouthed the words _thank you _to Annabeth.

As soon as were outside, we found two pegasi waiting for us; Annabeth had obviously thought of transport when she messaged Chiron earlier. Blackjack, a Pegasus I had rescued years earlier from Luke greeted me with his usual exuberance.

_Yo boss! A friend o' mine sais you need a lift to camp. Monster trouble?_

"Something like that" I said as I walked up to him and patted his nose. Once I was saddled up, I waited for Annabeth to signal that she was ready and we took flight. As we rose into the clouds, I had mixed feelings about returning to camp. Of course I was annoyed that my summer had yet again been cut short yet again by monster attack but I was also anxious to see my campmates again. During a tough time like the war I bonded with my campmates in ways I never truly realised until the war ended and I was no longer around them all the time. In a way having that many good people around me helped me get through the tragedy of losing so many good friends; Silena Beauregard, Charles Beckendorf, many others fell by Kronos's hand. Wind rushed past my ears, the only other sound being the perpetual beating of the Pegasus's wings.

As we neared the camps borders, I started to feel uneasy. I couldn't quiet place my anxiety; it had nothing to do with returning to camp. It was something…different, a primal sense telling me that we weren't safe. I drew Riptide slowly and let me hand rest on the saddle.

"What is it!" I heard Annabeth shout from her horse next to me, her voice barely a whisper compared to the thunderous sound of the onrushing air.

"I don't know! Call it a feeling" I called back. I scanned the sky, my instincts telling me that the danger was airborne.

We were nearly at the border when it happened. It started when I saw what at first glance to be a flock of birds flying in the distance to my left. Only when they got closer did I realise.

"Oh shit…Annabeth! Swords ready". She looked at me in confusion for a second before her eyes widened as she saw the oncoming horde; the bird like creatures from earlier quickly making up distance like we were flying against a hurricane. I kept my eyes firmly on them, holding my sword firmly, ready to use it exactly when the moment required.

_Yo boss I don't like the looks of this._

"Neither do I. Get ready to do some fancy flying Blackjack". The winged horse said nothing else and continued to beat his wings. I could how nervous he was. I didn't blame him. I kept all of my attention on the monsters steadily approaching.

50 metres…I could make out the evil yellow glow of their cat like eyes. 40 metres…their razor sharp, knife like talons gave me chills. I could see them glinting crudely in the sunlight. 30 hundred metres…the lead bird snapped his jaw angrily, seeing the demigods before him. The creatures behind fanned out and at least half banked around to the other side, getting ready to hit us on both sides. 20 metres and their flight speed quickened, their leathery wings beating so fast it was almost a blur. 10 metres between their jaws and us and suddenly three of the creatures broke away from each side and rose above each Pegasus. I looked at Annabeth for a fraction of a second and nodded quickly. She nodded back in understanding, a plan formulated silently between us; such was the incredible understanding we now had. I grabbed the front of my saddle tightly before I shouted my command to Blackjack

"Dive!" I shouted and my stomach lurched as Blackjack made a steep dive. It almost seemed like slow motion such was the adrenaline flooding through my veins, the thrill of battle readying my muscles for the coming struggle. The Pegasus descended like an artillery shell, diving down so quickly it took all of my strength just to hold on. As Blackjack neared the ground he levelled out, the sudden change in movement pulling me back. It took all my concentration to keep hold of my sword. When I looked back I noticed that only about ten of the creatures could keep up and the rest were out of formation. Blackjack, stretching out the speed he gained from the dive, fanned out his wings and glided. It felt like we were doing a hundred miles an hour.

It was only after a few seconds that I realised that we had already passed the camp border. _How the hell are they still chasing us?_ One of the birds somehow managed to speed up and climb over Blackjack before bulleting down on him. I turned around, holding my sword skywards in a defensive stance, urging Blackjack to stay on a straight course so I didn't fall off. It was moving so fast I had to use instinct rather than sight to judge when to strike. It was barely an inch from my face, its ugly leathered face pulling an ugly snarl. I pulled back my sword and yellow dust poured out from underneath, dissipating in the air as we moved. A fraction of a second had past, the beast had disintegrated. I glanced at Annabeth just in time to see her slice her knife through the throat of a creature before stealing a glance at me.

"Look out!" she shouted as her eyes widened. As the words left her lips she launched her knife past my shoulder and I heard a grotesque screech. I looked in the direction she threw and saw the monster fall against the Pegasus. Blackjack let out a whine but just carried on. I quickly pulled out the knife before the monster fell to the ground and threw it back to its recipient.

"Thanks" I called to her. I turned my Attention back to the monsters still in the air. Looking down I could see the cabins. Campers looked upwards at the great spectacle above them. The Apollo campers were readying their bows. I saw the lake up ahead. I glanced back at the creatures. All seven were bearing down on us. I felt my body do a strange thing. I knew it was ridiculous. I knew it was suicidal.

"Percy what in Hades are you doing!" I heard Annabeth scream. I looked back uncertainly.

"No idea…keep them over the water". I smiled back mischievously before launching myself over the edge of the Pegasus.

For a few seconds all I could hear was the whistling of the wind as it rushed past my ears. The water below me gradually got closer and I fanned my arms out like a parachutist would. Risking a glance back at the action above I turned my head briefly, taking in the sight of the two Pegasus taking evasive maneuverers followed by a hoard of angry flying monsters. Taking my attention away from the areal dogfight, I concentrated on the task at hand. I had no idea what I was doing I only knew that I had to jump and that I wouldn't die. I couldn't tell you how I knew but I just knew and that confidence just let me relax as I dropped like an asteroid through the air. I could feel the energy building within me, my palms starting to glow fluorescent green as the energy continued to build. Below me I could see the water turning clockwise in a spiral, creating what looked like a whirlpool. To my left I saw my fellow campers, some of the shooting arrows at the monsters who were now over camp, others just standing and staring at me as I plummeted through the air at what must be over a hundred miles an hour.

The energy within me just continued to build as I drew closer and closer to the water. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. The water was now merely seconds away. I let out an exhilarated scream as I plunged straight into the centre of the whirlpool. My feet finally touched the thin layer of water at the bottom of the whirlpool but instead of passing through it, the water acted as a trampoline and propelled me back into the air. Almost too late I saw a monster fly towards me as I flew skywards and I drew riptide so fast that as the blade cut through its throat I barely even registered the monsters attack. When I came back down again I landed on the water, walking on its surface rather than sinking to the bottom. This should have surprised me but it didn't. I just stood there with my arms risen as the power within me created a tempest, the lakes waves spiralling around me. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Annabeth swing round on her Pegasus and fly towards me. A smile formed on my lips as she flew over me. I simply threw my arm towards the monsters behind her and columns of water rose from the lake, wrapping themselves around each bird and slamming them into the water with such force that most of the immediately exploded into gold the moment they touched the water. More creatures flew overhead. A few of them tried to attack me but I don't know how but I simply pushed my palm in their direction and a wave of invisible energy pummelled into them, knocking them tens of metres away before a water column shot out of the lake and destroyed it. Although I was in total control over what I was doing this time, I still had no idea how I was doing it.

More and more creatures attacked. Some of them didn't even make it over the water, a stray monster dropping into the water with an arrow protruding from its back before it just dissolved into gold dust. The once blue water was now stained gold with the essence of the monsters that were being slain. I could again feel he energy building up within me, like an electric charge getting stronger and stronger. Palms glowed green once more. I could see my face reflecting back from Riptide; my eyes had an emerald glow and so did my mouth. The creatures now seemed to ignore everyone else and just dive straight for me. There must have been 50 or more now. How in Hades could there be so many. All my muscles tensed and I could feel the energy hitting its peak.

Then all at once, the energy was unleashed.

**How you liked it...if anyone is impatient and wants to see a sneak peak at my other story just message me.**

**Please review I do really appreciate it**


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